We reported yesterday on rumors from Republican congressmen who said that they expected Paul Ryan would not be running again, but he’s dispelling the reports today by confirming that he will, indeed, run again for Speaker:
It’s official: Paul Ryan is running for speaker.
The Wisconsin Republican during a Friday afternoon radio interview brushed aside rumors that he would step aside after Election Day, dismissing them as “palace intrigue in the Hill rags.”
“I am going to seek staying on as speaker,” Ryan told WTAQ’s Jerry Bader, while stumping for GOP candidates in Wisconsin. “There’s a lot of unfinished work to do and I think I can do a lot to help our cause and our country. I’ve led us to offer a very comprehensive agenda to take to the country and I want to execute and implement that agenda.”
“This is the typical chatter you have every two years,” he added of recent suggestions on Capitol Hill that he’ll bow out of GOP leadership. “They call it ‘palace intrigue’ in the Hill rags.”
Ryan is trying to downplay the intrigue, but he’s clearly trying to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room that the GOP is in absolute shambles. At this point I don’t even know if it’s better for the party for their nominee to win or lose. The only thing I do know is that we are at a severely low point in the history of the Republic, and Paul Ryan is in a terribly unenviable position. Looks like he enjoys it…
Here’s the report from yesterday: