Paul Ryan: Republican Party ‘Lost its Vision,’ Now ‘Going to Unify’

Following Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) nomination by the Republican conference on Wednesday to be the next Speaker of the House, he told reporters that it is time to unify the Republican Party and that the “party has lost its vision.”

“This begins a new day in the House of Representatives,” Ryan told media after a majority of the Republican conference nominated him to be the next Speaker of the House. “John Boehner served with humility and distinction, and we owe him a debt of gratitude. But tomorrow we are turning the page. … We are going to move forward, we are going to unify. Our party has lost its vision, and we are going to replace it with a vision.”

According to The Hill, Ryan fell short of the 218 vote threshold Wednesday, which he needs by the time of the floor vote on Thursday morning in order to officially become Speaker of the House.

However, The Hill is reporting that he should reach 218 on Thursday because some members of the House Freedom Caucus have said they will switch their vote from Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) to Ryan.

“Our group had endorsed Webster in conference and we’re supporting Ryan on the floor,” Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said to The Hill following the results of the nomination. “We actually do what we say we’re going to do.”