Not even two years into his tenure, House Speaker Paul Ryan is shattering fundraising records—and proving that he can do so while honoring his pledge to spend almost every weekend back home in Wisconsin.
Ryan challenged House Republicans to help the National Republican Congressional Committee by pledging to match whatever amount they collectively raised in March. The conference responded. At month’s end Ryan transferred $7 million from his personal campaign war chest and leadership political action committee to House Republicans’ political arm, according to information provided to the Washington Examiner by “Team Ryan,” the speaker’s fundraising apparatus.
That more than doubled former House Speaker John Boehner’s single monthly transfer of $2.8 million. It also exceeded the previous one-month record for a speaker, which Ryan set last March when he handed over $6.3 million to the NRCC.
Generating that kind of cash requires extensive travel but Ryan manages to fit it in during recesses and on weekdays that the House is not in session.
Last week he huddled with GOP rainmakers at Miami’s Breakers resort after the House adjourned Thursday but made it back to Janesville, Wis., Friday night.
If the House is in session all week “there’s really no opportunity to do any travel,” a Ryan political aide said. But if there’s a recess or a short week, Ryan will try to squeeze in some party fundraisers.
At the height of the last year’s campaign Ryan hit the road for the GOP almost every day, but still made it back to his 1st Congressional District three out of four weekends in October, the aide said.
Already this year Ryan has hit 18 cities in eight states and attended 82 events on behalf of his fellow House Republicans.
“Ryan is our biggest supporter and most valuable asset,” said NRCC spokesman Matt Gorman. For example, his matching challenge, “that’s never been done before.”
In the first quarter of 2017, Ryan gave the NRCC $16.4 million. Of that, $1.5 million was generated by NRCC solicitations signed by Ryan.
The $10 million Ryan raised in January and February broke the NRCC’s all-time off-year records for those two months, Gorman said.
“A year-and-a-half ago, Paul Ryan became speaker with virtually no political infrastructure,” Team Ryan Executive Director Kevin Seifert stated. “Since then, he has established a national political operation that can be put up against anyone else.
“Team Ryan was built around the speaker’s focus on policy and his ability to articulate a positive, conservative vision for America. This remains the focus and in the early part of 2017, Ryan has been humbled by the interest in the Republican agenda—to enact bold reforms and get our country back on track.”
