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House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), speaks to the media after attending a meeting with House GOP members, on Capitol Hill January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC.
In a tweet Wednesday, Trump called Ryan a “truly good man” and said “he will leave a legacy of achievement that nobody can question.”
Trump tweet
Ryan, who has served in the House since 1999, likely would win a re-election bid. But he would have faced a better-funded opponent than he is used to in Democrat Randy Bryce, whom the House Democrats’ campaign arm is supporting.
In a statement, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Tyler Law contended Ryan “sees what is coming in November” and decided to leave Congress rather than defend the GOP agenda. He argued more GOP retirements could be imminent.
Axios first reported Ryan’s decision.
Ryan achieved his long-held goal of overhauling the U.S. tax code in December. Once he did so, he felt comfortable leaving a job that had become taxing due to Trump’s behavior, according to the Axios report.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., are among the leaders who could try to replace Ryan as the top Republican in the chamber. Both have quietly started to make moves for the job, according to Politico. The GOP source told CNBC that McCarthy and Scalise have the inside track, but other lawmakers are looking into making a run, too.
Scalise will not run for the post if McCarthy does, according to Axios.
It is unclear whom the GOP will want to run for the Wisconsin’s 1st District seat. One candidate, Paul Nehlen, has previously challenged Ryan but is unlikely to gain traction with the party because he has espoused white supremacist views.
