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Kansas Rep. Huelskamp Skeptical Of Ryan's Bid For Speaker

The Associated Press

Kansas congressman Tim Huelskamp is resisting Paul Ryan's appeals for GOP lawmakers to rally behind him as House speaker and questions the Wisconsin Republican's interest in the job.

Huelskamp said Wednesday that conditions Ryan has outlined for taking the job leaves the impression with him that Ryan doesn't really want to be speaker.

Huelskamp is a tea party favorite who represents the 1st District of western and central Kansas.

He is among the hard-line GOP conservatives who forced House Speaker John Boehner to announce plans to retire at the end of the month. Boehner stripped Huelskamp of plum committee assignments late in 2012.

Ryan is insisting on Republican unity and rules changes before he formally seeks the speaker's job.

Huelskamp said, "I don't think they are all reasonable demands."

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.