Rep. Paul Ryan “open” to future possibilities – except House speaker
When it comes to his political future, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is keeping his “options open,” he says. But one option he already wants off the table? Being Speaker of the House.
During a luncheon in San Antonio on Thursday, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee cited his family as the primary reason he wouldn’t be interested in succeeding House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
“When Janna and I joined [Mitt Romney’s White House] ticket, we looked at, ‘What would this do to our family?’” he said, according to Politico. “We realized that actually, we would see each other more in the vice presidency than as a member of the House.
“We would see each other less in the speakership than as a member of the House,” he concluded.
Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee, won accolades from both parties recently after he presented a rare bipartisan budget plan. During the Q&A Thursday, he said he’s happier spending his days “on policy.”
“The speaker is expected to fly around the country on weekends as well, helping folks,” Ryan said. “I’m not going to do that. I’m four days a week in D.C. and three days a week in Janesville. It’s a good mix, I like that mix.”
One tea party group recently mounted a campaign to replace Boehner as speaker, pointing to his support for the two-year budget agreement as evidence that he’s “stabbing conservatives in the back.”