Republicans unanimously pick Ryan to continue as speaker, but differences remainSeveral Republicans made clear this week that although Trump’s victory may have eased the internal party tensions that threatened Ryan’s speakership before the election, it has not eliminated them entirely.
“I haven’t heard from him what he wants to change — what’s going to be different the next two years than the last two years?†said Rep. Raúl R. Labrador (R-Idaho), a co-founder of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus. “So far, I’m not hearing anything about changing the way we do business here in Washington, so I’m not ready to support him yet.â€
Labrador is in a clear minority among House Republicans — Ryan (R-Wis.) enjoys broad support among the GOP rank-and-file — but his qualms reflect ongoing discomfort over how Ryan’s brand of Republican politics will meld with Trump’s. He was among a handful of members who said Tuesday they would still consider opposing Ryan then.
Beyond Ryan, other senior members of House leadership were all reelected on Tuesday. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.), Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and Policy Committee Chairman Luke Messer (Ind.) will remain in their jobs.
Rep. Steve Stivers (Ohio) is now at the helm of the National Republican Congressional Committee, beating Rep. Roger Williams (Tex.) for the job. Two junior leadership positions are set to be filled with new faces Tuesday after Conference Vice Chairman Lynn Jenkins (Kan.) and Conference Secretary Virginia Foxx (N.C.) declined to seek reelection to those posts.
Reps. Douglas A. Collins (Ga.) won the race for vice chairman over Rep. Bill Flores (Tex.), while Rep. Jason T. Smith (Mo.) is the only declared candidate for the secretary’s post.
That means, barring the surprise entry of another candidate, seven of the top eight House Republican leaders will be white men.
Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah), who will be one of 21 Republican women in the House, said that was reason for concern.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/11/15/paul-ryan-is-set-to-remain-as-house-speaker-and-so-are-gop-tensions/
