House Republicans want Paul Ryan to be speaker. The question is whether he can be convinced to take the job.
After Kevin McCarthy unexpectedly dropped out of the race to replace John Boehner this afternoon in the face of conservative opposition, speculation was rife in a discombobulated Republican conference as to who might jump into the race. The biggest issue, most representatives agreed, was finding someone who would be able to unify a divided GOP conference that has struggled to find common ground. Ryan, according to a number of well-placed Republicans, would be the best person to do that.
“The best choice here is Paul Ryan,” Oklahoma representative Tom Cole, an ally of John Boehner, told reporters later this afternoon. McCarthy told National Review that Ryan would also be his choice for the position.
The problem is that Ryan quickly took himself out of contention for the speaker’s gavel, reiterating after McCarthy’s announcement that he did not plan to seek the position. But that hasn’t taken him off anybody’s list, and efforts appear to be underway to draft him, however reluctantly, into the role.
“He’s uniquely gifted and qualified for that position,” said Trey Gowdy of Ryan. Gowdy is another person who has been mentioned as a possible contender for the post. The two had sat together on the House floor during a series of a votes late Thursday afternoon, but Gowdy declined to elaborate on their conversation. Gowdy said he himself was not interested in the post.
RELATED: McCarthy Withdraws from Speaker Race
“I think he’d be a great Speaker,” said representative Tom Price, who was also seen talking to Ryan on the House floor.
Ryan declined to give any comment to reporters as he walked into Ways and Means Committee meeting room off the House floor and shut the door. Around 5 p.m., Representative Jeb Hensarling was seen leaving the room. “I got nothing for you,” he told reporters repeatedly as he walked away.
“Time to take a deep breath,” he said. “I’m taking a deep breath.”
When Ryan emerged again from the meeting room around 6:30 p.m., he repeatedly told reporters: “I’ve got nothing to add. I’ve got no news for you guys.” But he did not offer any denial that he was reconsidering his decision not to seek the speakership.
Cole acknowledged that he had been pressing Ryan to take the role. But when they spoke after McCarthy’s announcement, Cole said laughing, Ryan “immediately started giving me other suggestions of other names” for the job.
There was no doubt among Republicans that Ryan was the best option they had.
“The initial answer’s no,” Cole said of his conversation with Ryan. “But I think the more people ponder on this, that is the best answer.”
Ryan said he did not want the job of speaker when Boehner stepped down because he had young children. And even those members who said they thought he would be the best person for the job acknowledged that accepting it might not be the best thing for him personally.
“He’s got small kids, he’s a family guy. He goes home every weekend and that job is really, really tough and very demanding, and you travel a lot,” said Gowdy.
#share#If Ryan did not change his mind, Cole said, other people would emerge for the job. A lot of other names are being thrown around, though it is not clear how many of them would actually be interested. Even fewer might be able to muster the necessary support to win the position. Both Jason Chaffetz and Daniel Webster remain in contention for the post, and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan said his group continued to back Webster, despite the upheaval touched off by McCarthy’s exit from the race. Still, members said it was unlikely that either one of them would end up with the job.
Republicans want someone who can unite the conference, and as members emerged from the meeting where McCarthy withdrew his name from contention, many voiced skepticism that there was anyone who would be able to do that.
#related#Asked whether the House was governable, McCarthy told National Review earlier today, “I don’t know. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom.”
But there was no doubt among Republicans that Ryan was the best option they had.
Asked if anyone could unite the conference, Gowdy was unequivocal that Ryan was the man for the job.
“Either him or the fellow who just spoke to us,” he said, “but he went back to Italy.”
House Republicans have scheduled another conference meeting for 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, per a GOP source, to discuss their next moves.
— Alexis Levinson is the senior political reporter for National Review.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since its original publication to reflect new developments.