Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., speaks at a news conference following a House GOP meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Ryan told GOP lawmakers that he will run for speaker, but only if they embrace him by week's end as their consensus candidate, an ambitious bid to impose unity on a disordered and divided House. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A majority of the House Freedom Caucus voted to support Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for House speaker during a closed-door meeting Wednesday evening, apparently putting to rest a tumultuous speaker's race.
According to Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), approximately 70 percent of the group of hardline conservatives agreed to back Ryan for the leadership position instead of Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), who had intended to run for the post. However, the caucus stopped short of endorsing Ryan, and Labrador said it would be up to Ryan to decide if the signal of support was enough. (The caucus needed to reach 80 percent support to grant an endorsement.)
