Some conservatives quietly campaign against Ryan for speaker

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some conservatives in the Republican party are sharpening their knives to keep Representative Paul Ryan from succeeding House Speaker John Boehner, even as they say publicly the election of the next speaker will center on reforms in the U.S. House of Representatives instead of the candidates. "The focus is on, in my opinion, not who is speaker, but the process changes we can put in place," said Representative Barry Loudermilk, a member of the Freedom Caucus made up of the most conservative Republicans in the House. At least one caucus member has outlined requirements a candidate must meet in order to win an endorsement in the speaker's race, and it is not clear if Ryan can pass the test.

Continue reading...