“And that’s not to say that Speaker of the House of Representatives isn’t an important and prestigious position, but I think he sees himself as someone who could have a role in the U.S. Senate someday”, Jacobs continued. “It’s a big decision”.
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Attention immediately turned from McCarthy to Ways and Means Chairman Ryan. Well, his possible presidential aspirations.
Entering the conference meeting, Majority Whip Steve Scalise was asked if he wanted Ryan to be speaker. But lawmakers said nothing was decided at Friday’s gathering.
Rep. John Fleming, R-La., said he was “thunderstruck”.
Earlier this week, the Freedom Caucus endorsed Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida for speaker, raising doubts that McCarthy could get enough votes to win on the House floor. But one option that has been floated by several House Republicans is to get behind a veteran, who would serve only temporarily. Ryan’s “heart, his soul” is in policy and ideas, he said.
For what it’s worth, Ryan’s rhetoric shifted slightly late last night, and though different reporters are hearing different things, the Washington Post, citing “top GOP sources”, said this morning that Ryan “is seriously considering a bid for House speaker”.
“It was just 24 hours ago that Kevin McCarthy went from moments away from being speaker-elect to returning to his majority leader position”.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly said his decision not to run for House speaker came down to math – he couldn’t get 218 votes after a bloc of conservative members said they would not support him.
California said, “Paul Ryan is the right man right now”.
The tumult was escalating as Congress hurtled toward showdowns with Obama over spending and borrowing. If not resolved, those faceoffs could result in a partial government shutdown or an unprecedented federal default.
Admitting he was shocked by McCarthy’s sudden pullout, Boehner told Republicans he intended the election to happen before the end of October.
Being speaker also calls for frequent travel to raise money for the GOP, a challenge for a lawmaker like Ryan with a young family back home. But it became increasingly clear that McCarthy would not have the support of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of more hard-line conservative lawmakers who have banded together to block Republicans from making concessions to Democrats on key pieces of legislation.
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“The fact is, he’s a good guy, but whatever he was as a freshman, when he was a fighter on our committee, when he was trying to hold government accountable, he took a break from that”, Issa said. “I think the respect that Paul Ryan has within the Congress is one that the Texas Delegation would take seriously”.
