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Title: Republican Paul Ryan won't run for president in 2016
Source:
Journal Sentinel
URL Source: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/288313811.html
Published: Jan 12, 2015
Author: Craig Gilbert
Post Date: 2015-01-12 20:36:47 by Hondo68
Keywords: Gov. Walker, running for president, the right foot
Views: 3333
Comments: 14
There will be no 2016 presidential campaign for Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday, saying he wants to devote his undivided attention to his new and influential role as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. “I am where I am. I like where I am,” Ryan said in an interview Monday. “I feel like I can have a huge impact on the course of the debate in this country.” Ryan’s decision removes one big name from a very long list of potential GOP candidates and provides a little more space in the race for fellow Wisconsinite Scott Walker, the second-term governor who appears to be increasingly serious about running for president in 2016. As the party’s 2012 vice-presidential nominee and its most prominent voice on economic and fiscal issues, Ryan had several potential assets as a candidate for his party's nomination: higher name recognition than many presidential aspirants in his party, fundraising ability, and good standing with party activists and the conservative media. But he had not signaled a burning desire to run and had passed up opportunities to run in 2012. In that sense his decision is not a huge surprise. Ryan said in the interview that he came to the conclusion late last year that simultaneously running for president and chairing the Ways and Committee was not something he wanted to do. “It’s a big job and it deserves my undivided attention,” Ryan said of his leadership of a committee that writes legislation on taxes, entitlements and health care policy. He said his agenda as chairman includes tax reform, “repealing and replacing Obamacare, preventing a debt crisis, and moving people from welfare to work.” Ryan said it was too early for him to talk about GOP candidates he might support for the nomination, but he said that the work a Republican Congress does on the kinds of issues under the domain of his committee could help his party’s 2016 nominee. “If we get it right in Congress, I think that can also help us win the presidency,” said Ryan. “In the intervening two years, Republicans need to show who we are.” The Janesville Republican, who has three children under high-school age, said family considerations were not the reason for his decision. “My family was supportive of whatever choice I made. My family liked the 2012 experience,” he said of his place on the GOP ticket with presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Had he decided to run for president, Ryan would have had to seek a waiver from fellow House Republicans from a new rule requiring committee chairs to vacate their position to run for other office, such as senator or president. Ryan said he was confident he would have received the waiver, but said he was also convinced it would be a mistake to try to do both things at once. “I don’t think you can do justice to both,” he said. “I think there are a number of very capable (presidential) candidates. I think I would have been on the top of the list,” he said, when asked whether he thought he could have won the nomination. “I made my decision solely on my desire to be chairman of Ways and Means and my ability to have a huge impact where I am.” The committee chairmanship has been a long-stated ambition of Ryan’s, and a reason he passed up the chance in the past to run for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin and for a House leadership position. “I always believed chairman of Ways and Means was the right place for me. Now that I have it, I’m very happy with where I am,” said Ryan, who said he made his decision against a 2016 bid in the final weeks of last month. Ryan said he had shared his decision with Gov. Walker. In Walker and Ryan, Wisconsin had two potential GOP presidential candidates, making it somewhat improbable that both would run. Walker has talked more and more openly about a White House bid in recent weeks, and begun taking steps toward a candidacy. Walker will be appearing with other possible Republican candidates in Iowa this month, and is a featured speaker Thursday at the winter meetings of the Republican National Committee in San Diego. Ryan chairs his first meeting of the House Ways and Means committee Tuesday. “I wanted to get off on the right foot,” said Ryan of the Ways and Means panel. “I wanted to make the announcement before we get rolling” with the committee.
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told the Journal Sentinel Monday he will not run for president in 2016 and instead focus on his role as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
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#1. To: hondo68 (#0)
Ryan is one of the few Republicans who could cause me to vote for a Democrat. I'm kidding. I would just not vote.
#2. To: Abcdefg (#1)
He's got that Bob Dole charisma.
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