Wisconsin's Ryan says he will 'gladly serve' as House speaker -- with unanimous GOP support

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan told congressional Republicans during a private meeting late Tuesday he is willing to run for House Speaker -- as long as he is unanimously supported in the move.

Ryan, who has previously been mentioned as a potential candidate for the post, gave a recruiting pitch for the House Republican Conference Tuesday night, The Hill congressional blog reported. Earlier, he met with the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Following the closed-door meeting, Ryan spoke to the press about his possibly attaining the speakership -- which, in accordance with the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution, would also place him second in the line of presidential succession after the vice president.

"I made a few requests for what I think is necessary, and I asked my colleagues to hear back from them by the end of the week," Ryan said.

"If you can agree to these requests and I can truly be a unifying figure, then I will gladly serve," he added. "This is not a job I ever sought. This is not a job I ever wanted ... I came to the conclusion that this was a dire moment.

"We need to move from being an opposition party to being a proposition party. Because we think the nation is on the wrong path, we have a duty to show the right one. Our next speaker has to be a visionary one."

Some of those present in the private meeting reportedly said Ryan's only condition to run is that every party caucus must endorse him as House speaker. Ryan has given Republicans until Friday to unite behind him.

Commentators and lawmakers have both speculated for weeks as to Ryan's potential candidacy for the House's top leadership post, which will be officially vacated by Ohio Rep. John Boehner on Oct. 30. Boehner, who has served for nearly five years in the post, announced his abrupt resignation about a month ago.

Ryan has earned a lot of political capital among congressional Republicans to succeed Boehner, but he has yet to formally announce his intention to run. Tuesday, though, he met with the Tea Party hard-liners who had strongly advocated Boehner's removal.

Boehner announced he was stepping aside on Sept. 25, which was immediately followed by a small number of candidates being mentioned to replace him -- including House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

McCarthy, the House's top Republican leader after Boehner, remained in the race for 10 days but dropped out Oct. 8 -- which opened the field of potential candidates.

Ryan may be an attractive option to Republicans, analysts say, because he is seen by many as a uniting party member who might be able to quell the divisive power struggle the GOP has been fighting in the House for months.

"If Paul Ryan can't unite us, no one can. Who else is out there?" Rep. Peter T. King, R-N.Y., said. "[Failing to elect him] would be a sign of utter dysfunction, total madness."

Ryan, who serves as the Ways and Means Committee chairman, also fits the bill of a candidate who has experience in a leadership role -- a requirement many party members have said they want in the new House leader.

Some conservatives, though, have been more lukewarm to the idea of Ryan as speaker, The Hill reported, because they are looking for substantial concessions from the Wisconsin Republican in exchange for their support.

Tuesday night, though, Ryan indicated that he may be willing to adhere to some of their concerns.

"We need to update our House rules so that everyone can be a more effective representative," he said, touching on one particular concession that conservative party members want. "We need to do this as a team, and it needs to include fixes that ensure that we do not experience constant leadership challenges and crises."