Although former House Speaker John Boehner has not endorsed a Republican for president, he admitted late Wednesday his preference for commander in chief is his successor Paul Ryan.
Boehner, who left Washington last October, said if none of the remaining three GOP hopefuls can secure enough delegates before the convention, he would have no issue supporting Ryan as the nominee.
“If we don’t have a nominee who can win on the first ballot, I’m for none of the above,” Boehner said at the Future Industry Association conference in Boca Raton, Florida. “They all had a chance to win. None of them won. So I’m for none of the above. I’m for Paul Ryan to be our nominee.”
Ryan’s office has repeatedly said the Wisconsin congressman is not running for the presidency.
“The speaker is grateful for the support, but he is not interested. He will not accept a nomination and believes our nominee should be someone who ran this year,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said Wednesday, reported Politico.
Boehner’s strong support of Ryan is no secret, but neither is his resentment toward second-ranked Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whom he referred to as “Lucifer” during the same meeting Wednesday.
