Support for Ryan’s speaker bid varies among region’s lawmakers

Reactions from Washington and Idaho members of Congress to Ryan’s expected speakership were mixed.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ office released a link to a statement she made on her Twitter account in which she called Ryan “a strong and visionary leader” who will be the people’s speaker. Earlier this month the Spokane Republican said Ryan “has proven himself to be able to work across the aisle to get things done.”

Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, was more cautious. He’s a member of the Freedom Caucus, a conservative group that has pledged to back Ryan in Thursday’s election. But that offer of support is not unconditional, Labrador said.

“We want to make sure he understands that this is not about crowning a king,” he said. “It’s about working together.”

The recent budget deal brokered by the White House and party leaders is an example of what is wrong with Congress right now, he added, agreeing with Ryan’s criticism that “this process stinks.”

“(Ryan) was opposed to the way the deal came about, he was opposed to the way it was negotiated, that under new leadership this was not going to happen. That’s what we have been asking for,” Labrador told MSNBC on Tuesday.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said she and Ryan have serious political disagreements but she’s proud of the work they did in 2013 to reach a two-year bipartisan budget deal.

“In our divided government, we can’t allow those differences to stop us from trying to find common ground to help the families we represent, move the country in the right direction, and make government work better for the people it serves,” she said Wednesday in a prepared statement.