Having represented Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District for two decades, retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed a successor on Monday. The Republican speaker landed on Bryan Steil, a 37-year-old attorney in the manufacturing sector who once worked as Ryan’s legislative aide more than a decade ago. He announced his bid in late April, telling the Washington Examiner a few weeks into the campaign “the number one” lesson he’s taken from Ryan is “how to have a conversation about ideas … address problems head-on, and then present your solution.”
“I’m proud to endorse Bryan Steil for this seat. I’ve known Bryan for a long time, and I believe that he’s the right person to keep moving Wisconsin and this country in the right direction,” the speaker said on Monday. “Bryan is an optimistic and forward-looking conservative, who wants to solve big problems, empower people, and expand economic opportunities. I know this community and the people of southern Wisconsin will be well-served by having him as their representative in Washington.”
Steil, who comes from a prominent Janesville family, is racking up the endorsements of Badger State conservatives, having also secured the stamp of approval from Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner, Sean Duffy, and Glenn Grothman. But Ryan’s endorsement is obviously of particular interest. As we noted in April, he’s never been re-elected by less than double digits— in 2016, Ryan’s margin of victory was 35 points in the general election and 68 points in the primary.
Steil’s race will be more competitive than any of Ryan’s recent bids, but the House leader’s popularity means his blessing should come with a meaningful boost in the final two months before primary day on Aug. 14. Steil was already out-raising his competition, having raked in $250,000 during the first week of his campaign alone.
Which brings us to the Democratic primary, featuring Randy “Iron Stache” Bryce, the viral iron-worker who pledged to “repeal and replace” Ryan before the speaker announced his retirement. Bryce’s campaign has a formidable $2.3 million cash on hand. But he’s proved to be far from the perfect candidate, and his primary against local school board member Cathy Myers could heat up over the summer. Both may be too far-left to compete in November.
In the likely Steil vs. Bryce match-up, Democrats will tie Steil to Ryan, hoping to increase Democratic voter turnout. That may not be difficult— both men are relatively young, policy-minded guys from Janesville with a habit of sporting Badger gear. One even worked for the other.
But given Ryan’s popularity back home, efforts to that end could actually prove to be counterproductive.
