Paul Ryan Won't Seek Reelection in 2018, Will Leave House in January

Tony Alter/Flickr (CC-BY)

Report: House Speak Paul Ryan will not seek reelection

Paul Ryan really is leaving the House.

 

David Covucci

Tech

Posted on Apr 11, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 6:56 pm CDT

For the second time since December, rumors swirled Wednesday morning that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) would not seek reelection. This time, though, it’s for real.

The New York Times reported that Ryan will announce to colleagues that he isn’t going to run for another term. That news came on the heels of an Axios scoop from Ryan “confidants” who said the speaker was done in Congress.

Later in the morning, Brendan Buck, a counselor to Ryan, confirmed the news in a statement.

“This morning Speaker Ryan shared with his colleagues that this will be his last year as a member of the House. He will serve out his full term, run through the tape, and then retire in January. 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.

In December, a similar dance occurred when Politico reported Ryan wouldn’t run.

Left-leaning Twitter, which loves to rib Ryan, couldn’t contain its glee at Ryan departing.

Wonder if Mike Pence will require Paul Ryan to have a funeral for his aborted career.

— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) April 11, 2018

Ryan’s departure comes as Republicans fear a Democratic wave in both the House and Senate in 2018. Ryan was expected to face a difficult fight in his own district, as Democrats jumped at the chance to run against Ryan.

Share this article
*First Published: Apr 11, 2018, 2:13 pm CDT