Source: With McCarthy No Longer in Race for Speaker, Boehner Is Personally Asking This Person to Run

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) has personally asked Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to reconsider and run for speaker, a source inside Boehner's office confirmed to TheBlaze Thursday.

The move by Boehner comes after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shocked the political world by announcing he would no longer seek the post.

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Ryan, who was the Republican nominee for vice president in 2012, had previously said he was not interested in the post.

The news was first reported by Washington Post reporter Robert Costa who tweeted that Boehner has told Ryan he is the only candidate who can unite House Republicans.

MSNBC reported that McCarthy said he "hopes" Ryan changes his mind and runs.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who has insisted he won't run for speaker, said this week that he would select Ryan for the job "if I had one draft choice."

“To me, just speaking as one member, the smartest kid in the class is Paul Ryan,” Gowdy told the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Reps. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) have both announced their candidacy for speaker.

Boehner reiterated Thursday that he will continue to serve in the role until a new person is selected.

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