Speaker of the House Paul Ryan officially announced Wednesday morning he will not seek re-election in November after months of speculation as to whether or not he would throw in his name for another term.
“I wanted to share with you a little of what I just told my colleagues a few minutes ago. You realize something when you take this job, it’s a big job with a lot riding on you and you feel it. But you also note this this is a job that does not last forever. You realize that you hold the office for just a small part of our history, so you better make the most of it,” Ryan said Wednesday.
“That’s why today I’m announcing that they shall be my last one as a member of the House. To be clear i am not resigning. I think you full my serve — serve a full term as I was elected but it will be retiring in January leaving this matured into dance with what i believe is a very bright future.”
The speaker said he is retiring because he wants to spend more time with his children and be more active in family life.
News broke early Wednesday morning that Ryan recently told confidants that he would not run again this year and made his decision because he foresaw Republicans either holding a slim majority or losing the majority in the House.
Ryan’s counselor confirmed reports Wednesday, claiming Ryan told his colleagues Wednesday morning that this will be his last year as a member of the House.
“This morning Speaker Ryan shared with his colleagues that this will be his last year as a member of the House. He will serve out his full term, run through the tape, and then retire in January. After nearly twenty years in the House, the speaker is proud of all that has been accomplished and is ready to devote more of his time to being a husband and a father,” Brendan Buck, counselor to the speaker, said in a statement to reporters Wednesday.
“While he did not seek the position, he told his colleagues that serving as speaker has been the professional honor of his life, and he thanked them for the trust they placed in him. He will discuss his decision at a press conference immediately following the member meeting,” Buck said.
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