Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced on Wednesday he will not seek re-election and will be retiring as Speaker at the end of his term, Reuters reported:
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, told Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday he will not seek re-election in November, his office said.
Ryan will serve his full term and retire in January, Brendan Buck, spokesperson for the Speaker, said in a statement.
“After nearly twenty years in the House, the speaker is proud of all that has been accomplished and is ready to devote more of his time to being a husband and a father,” Buck said.
Ryan’s retirement sets off a mad scramble to succeed him.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Majority Whip Steven Scalise (R-LA) are considered the leading candidates to replace Ryan as leader of the GOP in the House.
Whether or not that translates into the job of Speaker in January 2019 will depend on the outcome of the November 2018 midterm elections. Democrats are hopeful they can win a net gain of 23 seats to take back control of the House.
Ryan didn’t campaign for the job, didn’t want the job, performed miserably at it and was generally ineffective.
He won’t be missed. Say hi to Lily and Herman for us, Little Eddie Munster. More concerned with his P90X than enacting a conservative agenda.
There is a Tennessee connection to all of this that Tennessee conservatives should recognize. The House Freedom Caucus, made up of the top movement conservatives in U. S. House, presently has Scott DesJarlais as its only Tennessee congressman who is a member. The House Freedom Fund is the PAC of the Freedom Caucus and it has endorsed two Tenn. candidates, Mark Green and Judd Matheny.
The more members of the Freedom Caucus we have in the House, the greater the influence it will have on who is chosen as Speaker of the House if Republicans maintain control of that chamber. Mark Green is a prohibitive favorite for election so Tennessee conservatives can now turn their full attention toward the election of Judd Matheny.