House Speaker Paul Ryan Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Apr 11, 2018

House Speaker Paul Ryan Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has announced today that he will not seek re-election this November.

The New York Times reports that Ryan has been in Congress for 20 years and in the role of Speaker of the House since 2015.

Ryan’s decision to step down caught many by surprise and has the Republican Party rethinking its strategy and priorities as midterm elections loom this fall.

The question of who will replace Ryan is also sure to be hotly debated. The top candidates at this time appear to be House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy or House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

Ryan announced his retirement to GOP colleagues Wednesday morning during a meeting in the Capitol building. He explained that he wanted to prioritize his family and spend more time in Janesville, Wisconsin, where he is from. He specifically explained that he did not want to be absent from the lives of his children.

“The truth is, it is easy for it to take over everything in your life and you can’t just let that happen because there are other things in life that can be fleeting as well: Namely your time as a husband and a father,” he explained.

Although he is retiring from his position as Speaker, Ryan said he will do all he can to help Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. 

 

Photo courtesy: Getty Images

Publication date: April 11, 2018



House Speaker Paul Ryan Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election