Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced today that he will not be seeking the Republican nomination in the 2016 US presidential election. “I want to put this to rest once and for all,” he said in a speech delivered from the Washington headquarters of the Republican National Committee. “I do not want nor will I accept the nomination for our party.”
The speech comes after political analysts and commentators floated the Speaker’s name as a possible option in a brokered convention in July. (Ryan was running mate to Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.)
“We have too much work to do in the House to allow this speculation to swirl or to have my motivations questioned,” Paul added. “If no candidate has a majority on the first ballot, I believe you should only choose from a person who has actually participated in the primary. Count me out.”
Many have pointed out that Paul articulated similar denials when he was being considered for the job of Speaker of the House, then just a Republican congressman from Wisconsin. “Apples and oranges,” he replied to a question along those lines posed by a reporter following the RNC speech. “Being Speaker of the House is a far cry from being president of the United States.”