Large majority of Freedom Caucus backs Paul Ryan for House speaker

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."

A source told NBC News that Boehner and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Ryan he should move forward even though the Freedom Caucus did not give him a formal endorsement, and after the vote, Ryan said he was "grateful for the support of a supermajority of the House Freedom Caucus. I look forward to hearing from the other two caucuses by the end of the week, but I believe this is a positive step toward a unified Republican team." The vote to elect the next speaker is set for Oct. 29.

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