If politics makes strange bedfellows, there is no greater example of that than the strange relationship between Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump. While Ryan openly criticized Trump as a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, distanced himself from Trump following the Access Hollywood tapes, and has spent his entire political career backing completely different policies and ideologies than Trump, his willingness to work with the president to advance his own longtime agenda has been stunning to watch.
I never expected @SpeakerRyan to return next year but thought he would run and announce plans later. His retirement would send# quite a signal about @GOP prospects in the fall.
https://t.co/qwjInHIHkB— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) April 11, 2018
Quoting a source named as “one of Washington’s best-wired Republicans, Axios reports that Ryan plans to tell colleagues in Congress today that he will not be seeking reelection in 2018.
‘“This is a Titanic, tectonic shift. … This is going to make every Republican donor believe the House can’t be held.” The announcement will help Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in his fundraising because “the Senate becomes the last bastion,” the Republican said.’
JUST IN: AXIOS' @jonathanvswan reports House Speaker Paul Ryan will not seek re-election, according to close confidants pic.twitter.com/sta3DJee5A
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 11, 2018
Considering special elections held since Trump took the White House, Ryan is understandably worried, just as every GOP Congressman and other lawmakers should be. A Democratic win in Alabama by Democrat Doug Jones, as well as Conor Lamb’s win in a Pennsylvania district that Trump won by nearly 21 points in 2016, does not bode well for the future of the Republican party.
BREAKING: Report: Paul Ryan won’t run for reelection https://t.co/4bTP7Ap0Lp
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 11, 2018
Republicans are projected to lose their majority in Congress; now, they may lose their Speaker and former vice presidential candidate who was once a rising star in the GOP, as well.
House Speaker Paul Ryan tells confidants he won't run for re-election: Report https://t.co/ymQWoihDOV
— CNBC (@CNBC) April 11, 2018
Featured image via Getty/Win McNamee
