House Speaker John Boehner endorses Ryan as his successor

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Retiring Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday says Ryan 'would make a great speaker' and dodged questions about any other candidates
Boehner has scheduled GOP speaker nomination election for next Wednesday, full House election next Thursday
Ryan sat down with GOP lawmakers on Tuesday and said he'll run for speaker, but with conditions
Ryan was pressured to run and says he is only pursuing the job 'with reluctance,' demanding to be able to spend time with his family
House Freedom Caucus has rejected Ryan's demands and remains united behind Florida congressman Daniel Webster for speaker

By J. Taylor Rushing, U.s. Political Reporter, For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 20:25 EST, 20 October 2015 | Updated: 10:59 EST, 21 October 2015

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Retiring House Speaker John Boehner gave his political blessing to his would-be successor on Wednesday, telling reporters that Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan 'would make a great speaker.'

Boehner backed Ryan - who would be third-in-line to the U.S. presidency as speaker - at a late-morning press conference and dodged attempts to discuss a second or third choice.

'Paul Ryan would make a great speaker, but it's up to the members,' Boehner said. 'I think Paul is going to get the support he is looking for... We all know Paul Ryan, alright? He's a very good member. He works hard, he's very bright and he has good relationships with all wings of the party.'

Boehner went on to predict that Ryan would 'receive the support he is looking for' to become speaker.

An Ohio congressman, Boehner was essentially forced into an early retirement by a notoriously unruly group of about 40 Republicans known as the House Freedom Caucus - making his endorsement a possible kiss of death for Ryan, who was the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee.

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House Speaker John Boehner, who has announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of the month, on Wednesday said his heir-apparent, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, 'would make a great speaker'

Ryan, the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee, said on Tuesday he would be happy to seek the speakership of the House of Representatives if his fellow Republicans agree to his requests for working together

Asked if there is a 'Plan B' candidate, Boehner initially said, 'I don't know,' and later simply dodged the question.

Ryan met with the entire House GOP late Tuesday to say he will run for speaker only if they embrace him by week's end as their consensus candidate. That ambitious bid is intended to avoid the internal fights that grew during Boehner's tenure.

The Freedom Caucus met Wednesday morning and decided to reject Ryan's demands, although he is scheduled to meet again with them later in the day. Instead, the caucus remains united behind their own candidate, Florida congressman Daniel Webster, a onetime speaker of that state House.

The caucus had also resisted Boehner's previous heir-apparent, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, contributing to his sudden withdrawal from consideration earlier this month.

But Boehner said Wednesday that he thought Ryan's meeting with House Republicans Tuesday evening 'went well' and that 'members responded well' to his remarks - but he declined to be specific when pressed by reporters.

Ryan would need 218 votes to become speaker. Republicans have 246 seats in the House, but about 40 of them are members of the Freedom Caucus who - for now - don't support him.

That means it may be up to Democrats to decide who leads the GOP-controlled House - and they may have demands of their own in exchange for their support.

Ryan told reporters after his meeting Tuesday with the House GOP that if all factions can share his vision and he can get the endorsement of the major caucuses, then he 'be all in.'

'We as a conference should unify now,' Ryan said. 'What I told members is if you can agree to these requests and if I can truly be a unifying figure, then I will gladly serve, and if I am not unifying, that is fine as well — I will be happy to stay where I am.'

Changing his direction: Ryan said he never wanted the top job in the House but had concluded the country was in 'dire need' of leadership. He is pictured here Tuesday walking with a meeting with House Republicans in D.C.

Boehner, a well-known crier on Capitol Hill, nearly teared up again Wednesday morning when discussing the National Defense Authorization Act and the future of the House speakership

While considering the job 'with reluctance' because of the consequences for his family, Ryan added: 'My greatest worry is the consequence of not stepping up'

The 45-year-old Ryan, under intense pressure to seek the post, gave his GOP colleagues until Friday to make up their minds.

Ryan, who did not attend Wednesday morning's press conference, is currently chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a wonkish position he is said to relish.

In fact, Ryan initially pointed to his satisfaction with his chairmanship as the prime reason why he wasn't interested in the speaker's job. Ryan was one of the first potential candidates to rule himself out as an alternative after McCarthy dropped his bid.

But his name recognition as the party's 2012 vice presidential nominee, and the respect with which he is regarded by even his political opponents, was cited by party elders who approached him with entreaties to run for the position.

Ryan's challenge will be whether he can win over the hardline Freedom Caucus, which drove the current speaker, Boehner, to announce his resignation and scared off Boehner's No. 2, McCarthy.

Congress is hurtling toward an early November deadline to raise the federal borrowing limit or invite a first-ever default, and a deadline to pass spending legislation or risk a government shutdown will follow in early December.

Boehner has scheduled the House Republican nomination election for speaker for next Wednesday, and the full House election for speaker next Thursday

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan told House Republicans late Tuesday that he will run for House Speaker if he is the unity candidate of the divided party. He is pictured here speaking on Capitol Hill in January

Ryan spoke to the House GOP behind closed doors on Tuesday and said if all factions can share his vision and he can get the endorsement of the major caucuses, then he will serve as speaker

Several members of the fractious Freedom Caucus were unconvinced after hearing from Ryan.

'I think he has to campaign for it. We've heard one speech,' said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. 'We're willing to listen but it's the beginning of the conversation as far as I'm concerned.'

Ryan laid out a number of conditions under which he would serve, all of them aimed at defusing an atmosphere of constant chaos and crisis that has hung over the House for the past several years as a large group of tea party-backed lawmakers pushed for confrontation with the White House and demanded changes that the strictures of divided government never could deliver.

He said he encourages changes to rules and procedures — something eagerly sought by members of the Freedom Caucus who claim they've been shut out of legislating in the House. But he said any such changes must be made as a team, with input from all.

He sought a change in the process for a 'motion to vacate the chair' — the procedure conservatives were threatening against Boehner, which would have resulted in a floor vote on his speakership and ultimately drove him to resign.

He also made clear to lawmakers that family comes first and that he would be spending less time on the road than Boehner, who traveled nearly every weekend raising money for the party.

Ryan, by contrast, has school-age kids in Janesville, Wisconsin and wants to be able to continue to visit them.