Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Thursday announced his bid for speaker of the House, saying he felt encouraged after having secured broad enough support from the Republican majority.
“We can make the House a more open and inclusive body — one where every member can contribute to the legislative process,” he said in a statement to his GOP collegues. “We can rally House Republicans around a bold agenda that will tackle the country’s problems head on. And we can show the country what a commonsense conservative agenda looks like.”
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Though initially reluctant to take the job, Ryan said, “I’m actually excited for this moment. I’ve spoken with many of you over the past few days, and I can sense the hunger in our conference to get to work. I know many of you want to show the country how to fix our tax code, how to rebuild our military, how to strengthen the safety net, and how to lift people out of poverty. I know you’re willing to work hard and get it done, and I think this moment is ripe for real reform.”
Ryan’s decision to run was conditioned on winning support from three key GOP groups in the House: the conservative House Freedom Caucus, the conservative Republican Study Committee, and the moderate Tuesday Morning Group. But he got the go-ahead from the latter two groups Thursday, and had about 70 percent support from the House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday.
Ryan sought to unite the various GOP factions in his letter.
“[W]hatever our differences, we’re all conservatives,” he said. “We were elected to defend the constitution. We share the same principles. We all believe America is the land of opportunity-the place where you should be able to go as far as your talents and hard work will take you.”
“We all believe in empowering every person to realize his or her potential,” he added. “And we have the know-how to apply these principles to the problems of today.”
He explained, “I never thought I’d be speaker. 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 one, united team. And I am ready and eager to be our speaker.
Republicans are expected to hold a vote among themselves for House speaker on Oct. 28, and the full House will vote on Oct. 29.
