Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Oct. 8, 2015.(Photo: Evan Vucci, AP)
WASHINGTON — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose decision to drop his bid for speaker Thursday stunned his colleagues, said Friday that Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is considering the job.
"We had a very good conference," McCarthy told reporters Friday following a meeting of House Republicans who gathered to find a way forward to unite their fractured caucus. He said Ryan, the Ways and Means Committee chairman who was also the party's 2012 vice presidential nominee,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is "looking at" mounting a bid.
"If he (Ryan) decides to do it, he'll be an amazing speaker," McCarthy told reporters. "But he's got to decide on his own."
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who said Friday morning that he is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>considering a bid for speaker, told reporters that Ryan is going home to discuss it with his family. Issa added that he would only consider running himself if Ryan opts to pass.
"It's a job he doesn't want and isn't seeking, but it's a job that's seeking him," Issa said of Ryan.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>He said Ryan<span style="color: Red;">*</span>has support from both moderates and conservatives. He added that members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, which often challenged Boehner, have told him they would vote for Ryan.
"We need to bring this caucus back together," Issa said. "Paul Ryan can do that."
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McCarthy's surprise decision Thursday came<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as his colleagues were gathering to nominate him for the job. However, it was apparent that the California Republican lacked the support of the 218 members necessary<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to guarantee his election by the full House, which had been scheduled to vote on Oct. 29.
"I just think it's best to have a new face," McCarthy told reporters.
His exit left the party with no obvious choice to succeed John Boehner, who said Thursday he would remain as speaker until a successor is chosen. Ryan's entry into the race, though, would change that landscape.
Ryan's hesitance to run for speaker is in part because he has three small children. He's previously said the position is best suited for an "empty nester."
Reps. Daniel Webster of Florida, who<span style="color: Red;">*</span>earlier in the week secured the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>support of the Freedom Caucus,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Jason Chaffetz of Utah are currently in the race,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and other lawmakers have said they're considering bids. Chaffetz said Friday he would support Ryan if the Wisconsin Republican chooses to run. He added part of the reason he entered the race was because "people like Paul Ryan weren't running."
Ryan and more than a dozen other key Republicans sent a letter to House leaders yesterday urging them not to make any snap decisions in the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>wake of McCarthy's departure.
"We would ask that members not commit to a determinative course of action before our conference can meet and find a shared set of goals and governing vision that benefits the nation and our constituents," the letter said.
Also signing were Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster and Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.
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