As of late last month, Rep. Paul Ryan was elected as Speaker of the House, taking the place of former Speaker John Boehner, whose unforeseen exit from the position left the Republican Party in a temporary state of chaos.

Boehner, who held the position since 2011, announced his resignation on September 25th, hoping to retire only five days later. He had been planning on resigning this November, but instead made the decision earlier, a day after his historic meeting with Pope Francis. At a Capitol Hill press conference, Boehner credited the change of heart to a night of sleep and prayers, hoping that his successor would work to restore unity to the increasingly fractured Republican Party. Although Boehner’s announcement was received with shock, it came as a tumultuous end to a tenure that had been marked by repeated clashes with both the White House and those farther right in the Republican Party.

Due partly to internal party conflict, Boehner’s expected successor, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, abruptly withdrew his bid for candidacy. McCarthy was expected to be easily elected for the position, surprising many with his withdrawal, which left the party scrambling to find a new leader. After this came an immediate push towards the recruitment of Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

“Honestly, I feel McCarthy would have done a better job, being more experienced and supported by practically all of the Republicans in the House,” says Eve Plotka, an FTHS junior. “But once McCarthy opted out, [Ryan] did become the best option to keep the GOP united. I don’t think this will change the way the party works, because it seems like Ryan will rely and be heavily influenced by Boehner.”

Ryan holds support among both conservatives and moderates in the party, and is respected as a former Republican vice-presidential nominee. Although he repeatedly expressed that he had no interest in becoming Speaker, after urging by Boehner, Ryan announced his candidacy. However, included in his agreement to take the position as Speaker were conditions that he claimed needed to be met by fellow Republican lawmakers. Among these were the desire not to travel as often as other Speakers, so as to spend more time with his family. Ryan also expressed the need for more of an effort towards intra-party cooperation by lawmakers.

“This is not a job I ever sought. This is not a job I ever wanted. …. I came to the conclusion that this was a dire moment,” Ryan said. “We need to move from being an opposition party to being a proposition party.”

Even at the beginning of his tenure, Ryan is expected to face divisive issues within the Republican House. Already, he has succeeded in avoiding a possible government shutdown, by leading GOP lawmakers in raising the debt ceiling at the beginning of this month. This signals a good start for Ryan’s Speakership — one that Republicans hope will continue to unify the party, and bring progress in the House.