The U.S. House of Representatives elected U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, to replace former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, following his resignation last month.
Ryan won the support of 236 out of 435 House members. Ryan got the nomination from the majority of House Republicans Wednesday after a frantic five week search for Boehner’s replacement.
In his remarks to the House, Ryan called for unity among House members.
“Let’s be frank: The House is broken,” Ryan said. “Neither the members nor the people are satisfied with how things are going. We need to make some changes, starting with how the House does business.”
Ryan said as representatives, the House’s role is to be the voice of the people, which they cannot do if they are not united.
Wisconsin congressmen from both sides of the aisle supported Ryan in statements. U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wisconsin, said he hoped the new speaker will put the needs of Wisconsin first.
“I hope that in his new role as speaker he understands that in our Democracy, with checks and balances, we need to work in a bipartisan manner address our challenges and not continue to let hyper-partisanship cause gridlock and dysfunction,” Kind said in the statement.
At the beginning of this month, Ryan declined to run for the position, but eventually declared candidacy last week. Prior to announcing his candidacy, Ryan gave a statement to the GOP Conference requesting four things. He asked to move from “an opposition party to a proposition party” and to update House rules to increase effective representation. Further, he called for the conference to “unify now.” Finally, he asked them not to expect him to give up family time for the position.
US Rep. Paul Ryan announces candidacy for Speaker of the House
Jenni Dye, research director for One Wisconsin Now, said in a statement Ryan is willing to negotiate for time with his family but not cast a vote to help other Americans have more time with their their loved ones. She referenced his vote against allowing federal employees to take four weeks of paid leave as parental leave time as proof.
“Americans deserve leaders who will ensure that no one has to choose between their family and their job, not leaders who simply look out for themselves,” Dye said in the statement.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, called Boehner’s stepping down a “sad statement about federal politics.”
Pocan said Ryan is a great family man and the job as speaker would be a huge sacrifice for him because the Republican party’s extremist wing will still be influential in Congress.
“It’s a tough job with that same contingent of two-party folks that have made it so hard for John Boehner could very likely make it as hard for Paul Ryan,” Pocan said.
While on different sides of the aisle, Pocan said Ryan is a “valued member” of their delegation, but the job as speaker has little to do with talent since the Tea Party will make it hard for anyone to do his or her job. A speaker would be an asset for Wisconsin, he said.
David Canon, University of Wisconsin political science professor, said Ryan would not have agreed to “put his hat in the ring” in the first place unless he had a strong indication the majority of the Freedom Caucus was behind him.
He said no one thought U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, would withdraw because of lack of support, which caused Republicans to turn to Ryan as a candidate.
Ryan, 45, will be the youngest speaker of the House elected since 1869, but he said he is confident he can move the country forward.
“I believe, with every fiber of my being, we can renew the American Idea,” Ryan said in his remarks to the House. “Now, our task is to make us all believe.”
