Speaker of the House

State Rep. Robert DeLeo, who has been corralling support to become the next House Speaker, ate dinner with about 70 supporters in Worcester Thursday night, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports.

DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat and chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, has been lining up support in the event that House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi steps down from his post. DiMasi has said he intends to run for another term but that hasn't kept DeLeo and House Majority Leader John Rogers, of Norwood, from jockeying to be his successor.

DeLeo told the Telegram and Gazette that "at least 70" of his backers were at the dinner and that he is "comfortable" with the number of backers he has compared to Rogers. To become speaker, DeLeo would need 81 votes.