Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has announced to the House Republicans that he will officially run to replace John Boehner.
Despite claims of not wanting to be the Speaker of the House, Republicans have convinced Congressman Paul Ryan to put his name on the ballot to replace John Boehner.
Ryan had laid out specific demands to even run for the Speakership, including the endorsement of three conservative House GOP groups. He received two, but apparently that was enough for him to move forward.
“I never thought I’d be speaker,” Ryan said in a letter (below) to fellow House Republicans, CNN reports. “But I pledged to you that if I could be a unifying figure, then I would serve — I would go all in. After talking with so many of you, and hearing your words of encouragement, I believe we are ready to move forward as a one, united team. And I am ready and eager to be our speaker.”
At 45, as the AP notes, Ryan will be one of the youngest Speakers of the House in history.
Ryan received a good deal of criticism for making one of his demands that he be given time off to spend with his young family – at least weekends, as opposed to traveling the country to fundraise, as his predecessors have. Liberals argued that while his expectations were fair, the fact that he opposes many different family leave bills that have come through Congress was greatly hypocritical.
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Image by Tony Alter via Flickr and a CC license