Rep. Paul Ryan finally answered calls from veteran members of his party Tuesday evening and said he would run for speaker in a closed-door meeting — but only if he is a unifying figure for the party.
Ryan told colleagues he will decide by Friday, and will only run if he has the support of the caucuses inside the Republican Party, some of which have become major political forces on Capitol Hill in terms of disrupting the plans made by Republican leadership.
"I have shown my colleagues what I think success looks like, what I think it takes to unify and lead and how my family's commitments come first," Paul told reporters after the meeting. "I have left this in their hands and should they agree with these requests, then I'm happy and I am willing to get to work."
Although not a yes yet, Ryan's move toward a decision could bring some order to the House, which has been in a state of complete chaos since House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy dropped his bid to replace Speaker John Boehner, who is expected to step down at the end of the month.
House Republicans who attended the meeting applauded loudly after hearing from Ryan.
The Wisconsin Republican, who has young kids, had previously said the job was for an "empty nester." On Tuesday evening, he said a major criteria for him to run for speaker would be not traveling as much to fundraise as previous speakers have done. "I cannot and will not give up my family time," he told reporters.
He framed his decision as a difficult one. "I consider whether to do this with reluctance," he said. And I mean that in the most personal of ways. Like many of you, Janna and I have children who are in the formative, foundational years of their lives. I genuinely worry about the consequences that my agreeing to serve will have on them. Will they experience the viciousness and incivility that we all face on a daily basis?
"But my greatest worry is the consequence of not stepping up. Of some day having my own kids ask me, when the stakes were so high, 'Why didn’t you do all you could? Why didn’t you stand and fight for my future when you had the chance?'"
Several House Republicans wasted no time in throwing their support behind Ryan.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who had previously announced his own bid for speaker, said he would support Ryan immediately following the meeting.
I am out and supporting @RepPaulRyan for Speaker. Right person at the right time.
Whether the conservatives on Capitol Hill — including the House Freedom Caucus, the group of conservative members whose demands were a source of trouble for Boehner, and ultimately his would-be successor, McCarthy — will support Ryan is less clear.
The former vice presidential nominee would need 218 votes to be able to replace Boehner. Whether he can secure those votes has been a point of speculation in recent weeks, even as Ryan has been pressured by party leaders to step up and run.
Ahead of the meeting, Ryan, who currently serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, spent the afternoon meeting with lawmakers including members of the House Freedom Caucus — a group of conservatives credited with Boehner’s resignation and McCarthy’s decision to pull out of the race.
Coming out of Tuesday evening's meeting, members of the Freedom Caucus said they weren't sold on Ryan. Some pointed to his past support for comprehensive immigration reform and others said they want more specifics on how Ryan would change the way the House operates.
Rep. Mo Brooks, freedom caucus member, says Ryan's "amnesty" position is still a concern.
House hard-liners grim as they leave. Mulvaney tells me, "I have to think about this." Declines to say more. Schweikert: "lot to digest"
To the broader public, Ryan remains best known as Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012.
Following the loss in 2012, Ryan eventually gained the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee, which he had reportedly long sought, and became particularly interested in advancing policy positions to address poverty.
After the meeting, Ryan's spokesman, Brendan Buck, released the following statement:
Tonight, Congressman Ryan laid out to his colleagues why he believes we are in this situation and what he thinks is needed for us to move forward as a team.
He did not announce a final decision on the speakership, but he did discuss what’s necessary, in his view, for the next speaker to be successful.
First, he said our next speaker needs to be visionary: more focused on communicating our agenda and laying out big ideas. The next speaker needs to use the platform to create a clear policy choice for the country.
In addition, he told his colleagues that he encourages changes to our rules and procedures, but he also believes that those changes must be made as a team. They affect everyone, so everyone should have the opportunity for input.
As part of those rules changes, he believes there needs to be a change to the process for a motion to vacate the chair. No matter who is speaker, they cannot be successful with this weapon pointed at them all the time.
He also made clear that family comes first. And a successful speaker must be able to maintain a healthy work-family balance. Less time on the road can be compensated for with a greater focus on communicating our message to the public.
Finally, he believes that for the next speaker to be successful, we need to unify now. Unless the speaker is a unifying figure across the conference, he or she will face the same challenges that have beset our current leadership.
With that, Chairman Ryan encouraged the members to discuss and consider his requests, and he asked that they make clear whether they support them by this Friday.
If the members agree with his requests and share his vision, and if he is a unity candidate—with the endorsement of all the conference’s major caucuses—then he will serve as speaker. He will be all in.
But if he is not a unifying figure for the conference, then he will not run and will be happy to continue serving as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.