Two of the largest young Republican groups in the nation told Red Alert Politics today they are supporting Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) for Speaker of the House — and claim there are advantages to having a younger congressman elevated to this powerful position.
Ryan is 45 years old and, if elected, would be the youngest speaker since 1875. He is also the father of three young children and has said he would delegate some of the job’s travel and fundraising demands to spend time with his family.
The Young Republican National Federation said the group “enthusiastically supports” Ryan and view his request for family time as a positive, rather than a negative.
“Ryan, a member of ‘Generation X,’ has a lot of similarities with voters aged 18-40, and understands issues that are important to the younger generations,” said YRNF Chairman Dennis Cook. “Even in his run for Speaker, Ryan has shown he prioritizes his family and balances that with his devotion to good policy.”
A spokesperson from the College Republican National Committee said Ryan is popular among many students in chapters across the country, and said his election could help the Republican Party with younger voters.
“Millennials are a solution-based generation and one that favors coming together for a common cause over old-school Washington divisiveness,” said a statement from the CRNC. “Even in 2012, when Ryan was chosen for VP, 41 percent of voters between the ages of 18-29 said they would vote for Mitt Romney – the first time Romney had ever cracked the 40 percent ceiling with the group.”
Ryan has received support from many House Republicans who have said that he is the right person to unite the GOP conference. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) who was running for speaker, has already taken himself out of the race and endorsed Ryan.
Ryan has asked to be endorsed by all factions of the House Republican conference – including the conservative House Freedom Caucus – before he officially agrees to run for speaker. The Freedom Caucus had previously endorsed Florida Rep. Daniel Webster before Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy dropped out of the race.
When interviewed by CNN, some members of the caucus voiced concerns about Ryan’s track record on immigration; others weren’t thrilled with the conditions he set.
“You can’t do the job 9-5, Monday through Friday,” said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas), taking issue with Ryan’s request for family time. “The speaker has to work on weekends. I’m not running for speaker, I’ve got young kids at home. … The time commitment is not 40 hours a week.”
House Republicans will select their nominee for speaker a week from today.
