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 Numerous House Republicans and even 2012 presidential candidate
Mitt Romney have asked Ryan to run for speaker after the
front-runner, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, abruptly dropped
out on Thursday.
But with Congress embarking on a week-long recess, there was no sign
of any move from Ryan, who was Romney's vice presidential running
mate, or of any other development that could bring order to the
Republican Party's disarray in the lower chamber of Congress.
Representative Ryan of Wisconsin is chairman of the tax-writing
House Ways and Means Committee and negotiated a bipartisan budget
deal in 2013.
"Although he's ruled himself out, it's very clear he's
reconsidering," Representative Darrell Issa of California said of
Ryan as he left a closed-door meeting of House Republicans. "The
fact is, his time is now."
Former Massachusetts governor Romney called Ryan to ask him to run
for speaker, a source familiar with the situation said.
 "I wouldn’t presume to tell Paul what to do, but I do know that he
is a man of ideas who is driven to see them applied for the public
good. Every politician tries to convince people that they are that
kind of leader; almost none are - Paul is," Romney said in an
emailed comment.
Ryan's spokesman Brendan Buck noted, however, that Ryan had
repeatedly said he is not seeking the speaker's job. "Chairman Ryan
appreciates the support he's getting from his colleagues but is
still not running for speaker," Buck said.
Finding a replacement for Boehner has consumed Republicans as
Congress faces a series of pressing decisions, from raising the
government's borrowing authority to funding federal agencies through
September. Boehner announced Sept. 25 that he would leave the post
on Oct. 30.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, who wants Ryan
to run, said after speaking to Ryan as Ryan was preparing to catch a
plane home: "He needs to talk with his family first. But I'm
optimistic."
In Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, some of his
constituents said they believed he would be better off staying on as
head of the Ways and Means Committee and keeping a lifestyle that
would still allow him to spend time with his family.
"Right now he has young kids and that has to be his top priority,"
said Rick Mueller, 53, who owns a printing company in the town of
about 65,000 northwest of Chicago.
The speaker's job comes with a $49,500 raise and an office with one
of the best views in Washington, not to mention unequalled Capitol
Hill power: Whoever holds the spot is second in line, after the vice
president, for the U.S. presidency.
Neighbors say Ryan, 45, is an avid hunter and regularly attends his
children's' cross-country meets in Janesville.
Megan Caulfield, 51, who grew up in Ryan's neighborhood, said: "Paul
doesn't strike me as a type of person to succumb to pressure but I
think he would do it out of a sense of responsibility to the party
and if he feels he can make progress."
[to top of second column]
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PLEA FOR PARTY UNITY
Boehner made a plea for unity at a closed-door meeting of House
Republicans, urging members to "truly listen to each other and have
an open mind about how we can come together," according to a source
in the room.
"It’s not helpful for one group of members to say they will only
vote for this candidate on the floor," Boehner said, in apparent
reference to the conservative Freedom Caucus. It has about 40
members and is aligned with the small-government Tea Party movement.
Earlier this week, the Freedom Caucus endorsed Representative Daniel
Webster of Florida for speaker, raising doubts Californian McCarthy
could get enough votes to win on the House floor.
Admitting he was shocked by McCarthy's sudden pullout, Boehner told
Republicans he intended the election to happen before the end of
October.
Among items immediately facing Congress is something Republicans
generally are reluctant to do: raise the debt ceiling. The Treasury
Department says the government will need to increase its borrowing
limit by Nov. 5.
"The most recent development in the speaker’s race plus the
compressed time frame to come to a resolution increases the chances
of a policy mistake around the debt ceiling," said Libby Cantrill,
an analyst for Pacific Investment Management Co.
McCarthy's departure left Webster and Oversight committee chairman
Jason Chaffetz of Utah in the race. But Chaffetz said on Friday that
he, too, backed Ryan and would drop out if Ryan changed his mind.
Hours before McCarthy withdrew from the race Thursday, some
Republicans received emails accusing McCarthy of an affair with
Republican Representative Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, two
lawmakers told Reuters. McCarthy has denied that any personal
misdeeds were behind his decision to quit the race. Ellmers
condemned "false accusations" in a statement released Friday.
"As someone who has been targeted by completely false accusations
and innuendo, I have been moved by the outpouring of support and
prayers from my colleagues, constituents and friends. Now I will be
praying for those who find it acceptable to bear false witness,”
Ellmers' statement said.
(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, David Morgan,
Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan in Washington and Trevor Hunnicutt
in New York; Writing by Richard Cowan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and
Grant McCool)
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