House Republicans nominate Paul Ryan to be speaker

Erin Kelly | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 5 things to know about Paul Ryan Fellow Republicans have nominated U.S. Representative Paul Ryan for Speaker of the House. Here are five things to know about the lawmaker from Wisconsin.

WASHINGTON — Paul Ryan's election as House speaker was all but assured Wednesday as the GOP conference voted in a closed-door meeting to nominate the 45-year-old Wisconsin Republican as their top leader.

The nine-term congressman still must be elected Thursday in a public vote by the full House. But he cleared the biggest hurdle Wednesday when the fractious, 247-member Republican conference largely united behind him. If he is elected, Ryan will be one of the youngest speakers in history.

"This begins a new day in the House of Representatives," Ryan said after the vote. "(Speaker) John Boehner served with humility and distinction, and we owe him a debt of gratitude. But tomorrow we are turning the page. ... Our party has lost its vision and we're going to replace it with a vision."

Ryan said the country is "on the wrong track."

"We think the country's heading in the wrong direction, and we have an obligation here in the people's House to do the people's business and to give this country a better way forward," Ryan said. "We are going to respect the people by representing the people."

The only other candidate besides Ryan running for speaker Wednesday was Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla. Webster received 43 votes while Ryan received 200, members of the GOP caucus said. Ryan will need 218 votes to be elected speaker Thursday if all House members are present. Most of Webster's supporters are expected to vote for Ryan.

Ryan initially said he had no interest in the job when House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced last month that he planned to retire from Congress on Oct. 30. Boehner decided to leave in part because the rebellious Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 conservatives, threatened to force a no-confidence vote on his speakership. Freedom Caucus members criticized Boehner for being too willing to compromise with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., appeared at first to be the front-runner to succeed Boehner, but he abruptly withdrew his bid for speaker when it became clear that the Freedom Caucus would not support him and he could not win a majority of House members. Republicans then turned to Ryan, who was seen as the one candidate popular enough to unite the divided GOP caucus.

Ryan said he would run only if he had the support of the three major Republican factions in the House: the Freedom Caucus, the conservative Republican Study Committee, and the moderate Tuesday Group. Ryan won support from all three factions last week.

Ryan was the 2012 Republican nominee for vice president and serves as the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, a position he will have to give up to become speaker. Before that, Ryan served as chairman of the House Budget Committee, where he became known for his efforts to cut the deficit, slash government spending, and overhaul costly entitlement programs.

Some anti-immigration groups and conservative bloggers tried to convince Ryan not to run for speaker, arguing that he is too soft on undocumented immigrants. Ryan has supported immigration reform efforts that include an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who undergo criminal background checks, pay back taxes and fines, and learn English and American civics. Ryan has promised the House Freedom Caucus that he won't bring immigration reform legislation to the House floor while President Obama is still in office.

Ryan is a fifth-generation Wisconsin native. He grew up in Janesville, where he lives today with his wife, Janna, and their three children. Ryan said he still plans to return home to his family every weekend rather than travel the country to raise money for fellow Republicans as speakers have traditionally done. He said his biggest hesitation about running for speaker was that he wants to continue to spend time with his kids.