Jason Chaffetz says he's out of the speaker's race and supporting Paul Ryan

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

last updated 21 October 2015

Rep. Jason Chaffetz of (R-Utah) announced on Twitter he is out of the running for speaker of the House, and throwing his support behind Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (R).

On Tuesday, Ryan said if he can get the party to rally behind him and agree to some conditions — including that he will not give up time with his family — he will "gladly serve" as speaker. His spokesman said Ryan has asked his colleagues to let him know if they agree to his requests by Friday.

Chaffetz told reporters that "part of the reason I was running was because Paul Ryan wasn't," and he doesn't regret entering the race. "I always knew it'd be a long shot at best," he said, adding that if he had won, it would have been capturing "lightning in a bottle."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.