House Speaker Paul Ryan is offering high praise to Reince Priebus, who he said is responsible for “almost single-handedly” turning the Republican National Committee around as its chairman.
“That success — and the doggedness behind it — doesn’t surprise anyone who knows him. He worked his way up through the ranks,” Ryan wrote in a post for Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people published Thursday.
Priebus started as chairman of the Republican Party in Ryan’s congressional district. When he became RNC national chairman in 2011, the party was “pretty beat up,” Ryan said.
But Ryan wrote that Priebus paid off the RNC’s $25 million debt, “and he fixed the political, digital and data infrastructure so that we can compete on a level playing field with the Democrats.” He added that “our presidential nominee will have the best-equipped staff in history.”
Ryan also remarked on the friendship he shares with Priebus, whom he has known since the 1990s.
“In stressful times, I often turn to Reince for advice,” Ryan concluded. “And I’m glad to say I’m still one of the very few people who know how to pronounce his name.”
“Being included on this prestigious list is a great honor that not only reflects the importance of the Republican Party but also the talent and dedication of the staff at the RNC,” Priebus said in a statement. “This recognition would not be possible without the hard work Republicans at all levels have done to elect historic numbers of GOP officeholders and prepare to take back the White House.”
Four of the five remaining presidential candidates also made the list: Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
