Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
House Republicans have voted to elect Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan as the party’s nominee to serve as the next speaker of the House.
“This begins a new day in the House of Representatives,” Ryan said, speaking briefly to reporters after Wednesday’s vote. “Tomorrow, we are turning the page. We are not going to have a House that looked like it looked the last few years. … Our party has lost its vision and we’re going to replace it with a vision.”
Perhaps no lawmaker in history has wanted the job less than Ryan. He publicly declined to run for speaker at least three times this year. He wanted to remain a committee chairman with oversight over the nation’s tax laws.
Current Speaker John Boehner announced his intent to resign late last month. The last time Republicans tried to elect their next speaker of the House on Oct. 8, the meeting ended in chaos after the front-runner, Kevin McCarthy, suddenly withdrew.
It then became apparent that Ryan was the only House Republican who could get the votes to win. After pressure from Republican leaders, he relented and joined the race.
Ryan faces token opposition from Florida Republican Daniel Webster. The conservative House Freedom Caucus had endorsed him but a majority of members later voiced support for Ryan.
Now that Ryan has his party’s nomination, it will go before the full House for a vote on Thursday.
He needs a majority of the 435-member House to secure the gavel.
Boehner’s resignation will be official as soon as that election concludes.
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