Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan (pictured) was nominated on Wednesday and on Thursday was elected speaker of the House of Representatives receiving 236 votes.
He faced token opposition from fellow conservative Daniel Webster and Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
"The House is broken, we're not solving problems, we're adding to them. And I'm not interested in laying blame ... we are wiping the slate clean," Ryan said after the vote. He called on the committees to take the lead in drafting all major legislation, and for a return to regular order.
In an exit interview with NPR's Susan Davis, outgoing speaker John Boehner praised Ryan, calling him "the right person to lead our team at this time."
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