U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, announced Thursday he is officially running for Speaker of the House after Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, abruptly resigned from the position.
Ryan listed several conditions that had to be met before he would consider running for speaker.
The conditions, NPR reported, included turning the party from an “opposition one to a proposition one,” making sure the House did not experience “constant leadership challenges and crises” and unifying as a party before “a divisive speaker election.” He also said he would not give up time with his family.
Ryan has three young children who live in Janesville, Wisconsin, and he does not want to miss weekend time with them. His critics argued this excuse means he does not really want the job, but his supporters commended his focus on family, according to Wall Street Journal.
Keith Best, vice chair for the Republican Party of Waukesha County, said Ryan’s commitment to his family is part of what makes him a strong leader.
He recalled a story of seeing Ryan elated when he was able to catch an early plane back to Wisconsin from Washington D.C. to spend more time with his family.
“He said since he made this plane, he would be able to get home in time to have dinner with his children,” Best said. “He was very happy that he made the right flight. That’s how committed he is to being with his family.”
But Politico reported some critics view Ryan as a hypocrite because, although he wants family time, he has disapproved of almost every piece of federal legislation that would give Americans more family leave.
Eleanor Neff Powell, assistant professor of political science at University of Wisconsin, said Ryan is known for his work in drafting budget proposals, which is where his strongly conservative — and sometimes controversial — agenda comes through.
“They’ve been quite conservative budgets that have involved in cutting a lot of spending,” Powell said. “Some people have viewed them as somewhat controversial.”
Powell said part of Ryan’s struggle will be keeping the different ideological groups of the Republican Party aligned. She specifically mentioned the House Freedom Caucus, a very conservative faction of the House Republicans.
Powell said part of the reason Ryan has been such a popular choice to fill the speaker role is because he is a “compromise candidate” between the different Republican factions. But groups like House Freedom Caucus might be concerned his policies won’t align completely with theirs.
“Congressman Ryan and the House Freedom Caucus are all quite conservative,” Powell said. “In some sense it’s more about [their] strategic differences in how to best pass a conservative agenda.”
Ryan’s conservativeness is another way he differs from the former speaker. While Boehner is a conservative Congressman, most people would say Ryan leans even more to the right, Powell said.
Best said he thinks Ryan would make a better speaker than Boehner because he has better communication skills.
“A majority of people, once they hear him speak, come away with a better understanding of where he wants the country to go … and his district, as well,” Best said.
He also said Ryan is talented in reaching across the aisle to communicate with Democrats — an area of communication where Boehner struggled.
According to Huffington Post, Ryan does not currently have the best popularity numbers. He is faced with a 27.1 percent unfavorable and 25.3 percent favorable public opinion rating.
