Pressure builds on Paul Ryan to run for House speaker

WASHINGTON — The pressure is on Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2012, to run for House speaker in the chaotic aftermath of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s sudden decision to abandon his campaign for the post.

“I’ve talked with Paul Ryan. He’s talking to people. I think he’d make a great speaker,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Friday morning as he entered a closed-door Republican meeting. “It’s a big decision. He’s got to talk to his wife and everybody else, and it’s got to be his decision.”

Ryan has insisted he’s not interested in the post, preferring to focus on his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. In addition, any presidential aspirations the 45-year-old Wisconsin lawmaker might have could be undercut by holding the chamber’s top job and managing its unruly caucus.

Being speaker also calls for frequent travel to raise money for the GOP, a challenge for a lawmaker like Ryan with a young family back home.