Pressure Mounts On Ryan To Run

He doesn’t want to do it.

Ryan, upon entering and exiting the meeting, made no comment, which in itself a few of his colleagues viewed as notable given his previously forceful denials of interest.

And addressing rumors that he might step down as majority leader, McCarthy told his fellow Republicans he plans to remain in the job, a source in the room said.

“While I am grateful for the encouragement I’ve received, I will not be a candidate”, Ryan added.

The leadership vacuum is throwing the speaker’s election timeline into doubt.

On Monday, the Ohio Republican concluded a Beltway guessing game when he announced that the full chamber would vote October 29, the day before he is due to resign, to determine his successor. “But he’s got to decide on his own”. Leaders then abruptly canceled the nomination election.

There are now 247 Republicans in the House of Representatives and 188 Democrats. This date has been thrown into doubt with the latest power struggle.

King acknowledged it looks like McCarthy, the current House majority leader, is the odds-on favorite to claim the speaker’s gavel.

“Kevin McCarty is in a pretty good position to be the next speaker”.

“It is ironic how smart John Boehner’s looking”, said Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. The deadline for that is December 11, when a short-term funding extension expires.

King said the key thing is to be tough against the executive branch led by Democratic President Barack Obama, instead of being deferential and backing down.

How could this all shake out?

Amid Thursday’s frenzy, it wasn’t clear who might be able to emerge as a viable candidate for speaker. That’s what Boehner and his allies want, too.

But don’t feel too bad for him: Boehner stood by while that whipping took place.

After members finished their work on the House floor Friday afternoon, they raced off quickly to head home, with many declining to talk about speaker’s race.

The speaker needs 218 votes in the 435-member House.

Friday morning, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Utah Republican whose candidacy helped draw people away from McCarthy, said he would drop out of the race if Ryan runs, a sign conservatives are willing to rally behind the Wisconsin Republican. The group, which includes members who voted against Boehner earlier this year in one of the biggest defections from an incumbent in a century, includes about 40 members, but they can potentially swing more than 50 votes.

Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho agreed that it’s possible that he and other members of the House Freedom Caucus would support Ryan or others. As a new session began in January, King did not vote for Boehner as speaker.

Said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia, himself a potential candidate for the job, “He’s the only guy who can unite us right now”. And Ryan’s prospective presidential ambitions would not be enhanced by serving as speaker. That legislation required votes from both parties September 30.

A speaker also has prerogative over important committees including the intelligence panel and select committees such as the Benghazi investigation that got McCarthy into trouble.

“It’s not about the who, it’s about the what”, Labrador told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

The other test could come even sooner, and is even more critical: Sometime after November. 5, Congress must raise the limit on federal borrowing – the debt ceiling – or force the USA government to default on the national debt. Failing that, Republicans would do well to find a leader who can offer conservatives respect and inclusion, but who knows when to fight and when to compromise for the good of the nation.