Paul Ryan Excited to Have GOP Support for Speaker

Oct. 23, 2015, 6:08 PM UTC / Updated Oct. 23, 2015, 6:08 PM UTC

By Alex Moe and Luke Russert

Rep. Paul Ryan told NBC News on Friday it’s “very exciting” to have the support of his GOP colleagues in Congress behind his bid for House speaker.

Ryan, who officially announced his candidacy for speaker late Thursday, spent an hour Friday talking with about a dozen of the most conservative members of the GOP conference. Before running, Ryan said he needed to have support from all factions of the House GOP to prevent the party fractures that characterized House Speaker John Boehner’s tenure.

“I walked out of the room optimistic that we can form a unified conference and it is going to be happy to come back to work again,” Rep. Steve King, R-IA, said after meeting with Ryan.

“We had a very productive meeting, a lot of discussions,” said Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-KS, who also attended the meeting.

The Republican conference will cast votes for speaker Wednesday, Oct. 28 followed by a vote on the House floor by both parties Thursday, Oct. 29.

While Huelskamp said he would give his vote Wednesday to Rep. Daniel Webster, R-FL, – the only other declared candidate for speaker – the Kansas Republican would not rule out voting for Ryan on the House floor Thursday.

“When you put your speakership on the line and you say this will stop [the culture of retribution], and I will talk to those folks, that’s a very strong commitment,” Huelskamp added.

Ryan met privately with Webster Friday morning.

Alex Moe

Alex Moe is a Capitol Hill producer for NBC News covering the House of Representatives.

Luke Russert

Luke Russert joined NBC News in August 2008 as a correspondent based in Washington, D.C. Russert currently reports from Capitol Hill on the House of Representatives for “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “TODAY,” MSNBC and NBCNews.com.

Since late 2011 Russert has served as a guest host on various MSNBC programs including: “Way Too Early” “The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd” “Andrea Mitchell Reports” “NOW with Alex Wagner” and “The Cycle.”

From March 2006-2010, Russert co-hosted the sports radio talk show "60/20 Sports" with political pundit James Carville on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio. On "60/20 Sports" he interviewed the likes of former President Clinton, former President George Bush, Bill Russell, Cal Ripken Jr. and Lance Armstrong.

In May of 2009, Russert was honored with the Marlin Fitzwater Award for Leadership in Public Communication from Franklin Pierce University, an award meant to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to public discourse in the spirit of a healthy democracy. He’s also received an honorary degree from Wingate University in North Carolina.

Russert graduated from Boston College with a double major in history and communications. He is the son of the late Tim Russert and Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth. Russert lives in Washington, D.C., with his pug Chamberlain.