Paul Ryan announces candidacy for House Speaker - Reuters

WASHINGTON U.S. Republican congressman Paul Ryan formally announced his candidacy for speaker of the House of Representatives on Thursday after he nailed down crucial endorsements from Republican factions.

Ryan earlier this week said he was open to replacing retiring House Speaker John Boehner, but only if he could win the unified backing of his divided party colleagues in the House. By Thursday afternoon he had gathered support from conservative and moderate Republican groups.

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