Ryan wins praise of Arkansans, has votes of 2

Two of Arkansas' four representatives on Capitol Hill have endorsed Paul Ryan to be the next speaker of the House. And other Arkansans who served with him are welcoming news that the Wisconsin lawmaker is willing to take the job.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said Thursday that he'll vote for Ryan to replace Rep. John Boehner of Ohio.

And the third-term congressman predicts that a majority of the 247-member Republican conference will support Ryan's candidacy, ending weeks of uncertainty.

"We need to get our leadership issues behind us and become more focused on the substantive issues affecting the country," said Womack, a Republican. "The more we stay embroiled in a family feud, the more dysfunctional I think Congress becomes."

If elected, Ryan will face big challenges, including some from within his own party.

"You're trying to herd 247 people with different ideas who come from different parts of the country representing different constituencies and different values, and you're trying to have them all herded into one tidy little pack, and that's a pretty big number to try to herd," Womack said. "Being speaker today is like trying to herd cats, no question about that, and it's almost an impossible task."

U.S. Rep. French Hill also supports Ryan.

Moments after Ryan publicly declared that he was "ready and eager" to be speaker, Hill said, "I suspect he will win and that he will work hard to unite our Republican conference."

Hill, who was elected to Congress last year, said Ryan has been an effective committee chairman and that he'd be an effective spokesman for the Republican majority.

"I appreciate the leadership that he's exhibited on the Ways and Means Committee and I appreciate the effort he has taken to meet with everyone in the conference and hear their ideas for making the conference a more productive place and making sure the House runs as effectively as possible," Hill said.

The two other members from Arkansas, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman and U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, were still undecided Thursday.

"I'd hate to say 100 percent I'm supporting Paul Ryan and then find out there's somebody else in the race," said Westerman. "If I had to vote right now with what I know, I'd vote for Paul Ryan."

The first-term lawmaker said the new speaker will need to end the divisions that currently exist. "We're needing someone that can unify the conference," Westerman said.

The job won't be easy, Westerman said.

"It's tough right now because people are frustrated. All around the country, I sense the frustration," he said.

"Whoever the next speaker is, I think they walk into office the first day with a big target on their back from the attitude of the country," he said. "A lot of the constituents I've talked to ... think we've been heading in the wrong direction, and they want to see a different vision and they want to see a backbone behind that vision."

Crawford, a three-term Republican, couldn't be reached for comment. But he released a statement describing the kind of leader that is needed.

"The most important quality our next speaker can have is the power to unify our majority through a dedication to House rules and process, a system which, if respected, will allow the best ideas and legislation to prevail," Crawford said in the statement.

Arkansas Republicans who used to serve with Ryan in the House praised him during interviews Thursday.

"Paul is a person of integrity. He's a very bright person. No one knows more about tax policy, that's really what he's specialized in over the years," said U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who served alongside Ryan between 2001 and 2011.

Ryan is able to find common ground and "he's known as somebody who is going to treat everybody fairly," Boozman said. "I think this is why people have turned to him in this time of indecision. They believe he will be someone who will represent them well."

People who traded life on Capitol Hill for jobs in Arkansas also praised Ryan on Thursday.

"I think he'd be an outstanding speaker of the House. He would be a unifier," said Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who represented Arkansas in Congress from 1997 to 2001.

Asked why he thinks Ryan will succeed, Hutchinson said, "He listens and that's probably the most important quality for a speaker, is a willingness to listen."

Ryan is "very policy-oriented and he's into the details" of governance, but he also sees the bigger "picture of where we need to go as a country and as a party, and that's very important," Hutchinson said.

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is another Arkansan who served with Ryan in the House.

Griffin and Ryan both served on the House Ways and Means Committee.

"He was my next-door neighbor in Longworth [House Office] Building," Griffin said.

"He is extraordinarily kind, he is intelligent, thoughtful ... and really family-focused," Griffin said. "[He's] not only universally respected, but well liked."

Griffin, who served in the House from 2011 to 2015, says Ryan is "perfectly suited for that job. He knows the individuals, he knows their personality, he knows the institution, he's incredibly bright. I think he will have the intelligence, the energy, the insight, the respect to do an excellent job."

Metro on 10/23/2015