But you will not get a normal, intelligent conservative in that post if King steps down. King isn't a dummy, and I fully believe him when he says he is being taken out of context (it was the NYT, after all). The GOPe losership has been trying to muffle and remove King for awhile, so I don't know why you would expect a conservative to replace him.
King will probably be replaced by a Dem if there is a special election.