Paul Ryan faces a steep learning curve

House Republicans on Wednesday nominated the Wisconsin lawmaker as their next speaker, setting up his formal election in a full House vote Thursday morning.

In his reluctant promotion from chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee to what often is called the second most powerful job in Washington, Ryan has a nontraditional pedigree for his new responsibilities, says The New York Times.

The man who will be the youngest speaker in more than a century is a policy buff rather than the typical veteran lawmaker who has risen through party ranks.

Unlike virtually all of his predecessors, Ryan has no experience in senior House leadership.

For years, he's had his hands on the levers of power, but the Ways and Means and Budget committees are far different from the speakership, Politico notes.

Ryan’s leadership has been limited to corralling a few dozen members of his committee. “The unruly 247-member House Republican Conference is another beast altogether,” says Politico, in an understatement.