A group of hard-line conservative U.S. Republicans would “look favorably” on Paul Ryan if he ran to be speaker of the House of Representatives, the group’s leader said on Sunday.

The approximately 40-member House Freedom Caucus is at the center of turmoil within the Republican Party over who will be the party’s effective leader in the House ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy had been the front-runner in the race but abruptly dropped out on Thursday after facing skepticism from Freedom Caucus lawmakers who viewed him as too willing to compromise with Democratic President Barack Obama.

Now eyes are turned to another high-profile Republican, former vice presidential candidate Ryan, who fellow lawmakers say is considering the job during a week-long congressional recess.

Freedom Caucus leader Jim Jordan hinted that conservatives could back Ryan if he supports their agenda to take some powers away from the Republican leadership in the House.

“Paul Ryan is a good man. He’s a great communicator, the kind of messenger our party needs and certainly if he gets in the race I think our group would look favorably on him,” Jordan said on “Fox News Sunday.”

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Source: http://www.newsmax.com