On Wednesday, about 70 percent of the conservative House Freedom Caucus voted to support Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as the next speaker of the House.
There isn't an official roster of caucus members, but it's believed there are about three dozen, and Ryan needed 80 percent to receive a formal endorsement from the group. On Tuesday, Ryan said he would "gladly serve" as speaker to replace Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), but he had some conditions, namely that House Republicans unify behind him and the House reform the procedural rule known as the "motion to vacate the chair," which was used to attack Boehner's position. Ryan's spokesman said Tuesday that "no matter who is speaker, they cannot be successful with this weapon pointed at them all the time."
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