House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday morning that he would not seek re-election in November, after nearly 20 years in Congress.
Ryan will serve the remainder of his term, and he told reporters he would remain as speaker through that period. “We all know that I did not seek this job. I took it reluctantly,” said Ryan, but, “I have no regret whatsoever for accepting this responsibility. This has been one of the two greatest honors of my life.”
Ryan cited the Republican tax cuts and the hefty defense spending boosts included in last month’s omnibus spending bill as lasting accomplishments. He informed GOP members of his decision during a conference meeting Wednesday morning, telling them that he wanted to spend more time with his family. “It’s easy for [the job] to take over everything in your life,” Ryan said later, “mainly your time as a husband and a dad.”
He joins 44 other Republicans who are retiring from office or seeking other office this year.
Ryan claimed the move was “not at all” related to the unique chaos that is a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s Washington and responded to speculation that his retirement could hurt Republican members running for reelection: “I really do not believe whether I stay or go in 2019 is going to affect a person’s individual race for Congress.”
Ryan was elected speaker in October 2015, after former Speaker John Boehner stepped down amid clashes with the House Freedom Caucus, a coalition of about three dozen conservative members. In his first speech on the job, Ryan called for a return to regular order, a plea that has been largely ignored in his tenure. Conservative lawmakers have expressed frustration with Ryan’s tight grip on the legislative process and a failure to curtail federal spending throughout the first year of Trump’s presidency.
The House Freedom Caucus played a considerable role in selecting Ryan as a consensus candidate in the first place; members told TWS they expected to gather sometime Wednesday for a meeting to discuss their leadership priorities moving forward.
Top Republicans already have been quietly jockeying to succeed Ryan as speaker since Politico first reported last year that he would soon call it quits. Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie noted that the timing of Ryan’s announcement means the race will play out over six months. “Interesting prospect! Most [speaker races] don’t last 6 days,” tweeted Massie. He later told reporters he thought some candidates wouldn’t be able to withstand the prolonged scrutiny.
Leading contenders for the role include Majority Whip Steve Scalise and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
