Rep. Paul Ryan will not run for president in 2016.
The Wisconsin Republican, who was the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2012, has decided he will not seek to be the presidential nomination in the next election.
“I have decided that I am not going to run for president in 2016,” Ryan said in a phone interview with NBC, adding that he is “at peace” with the decision he made “weeks ago” not to decide not to run for the White House.
Ryan, who has served in Congress for nine terms, said he thinks he can make “a big difference” in his role as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee instead of as a presidential nominee.
The decision came over the holidays, Ryan said, noting that it had nothing to do with news of his former running mate Mitt Romney eyeing another presidential bid.
“It is no secret that I have always thought Mitt would make a great president,” he said. “As for his plans for 2016, I don’t know what he is ultimately going to do and the last thing I want to do is get ahead of his own decision making process.”
Though Ryan will not support any potential 2016 presidential candidate just yet, he believes that a Republican can “absolutely” win the White House. “I think we’ve got a number of very capable candidates who have every ability to become president. There are a lot of talented people,” Ryan said.
But the door to higher office isn’t necessarily closed forever. Ryan, who is just 44, said he plans to “keep my options open” in terms of other future political opportunities.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leads with the field of potential 2016 candidates with 17 percentage points, followed by New Jersey Gov. Christie Christie.
