House Speaker Paul Ryan recently sought to put to rest any more speculation he could become the GOP nominee for president.
Conjecture has ramped up that the Janesville Republican could be tapped as the party nominee if none of the current candidates collects the delegates needed to win the nomination outright, which appears to be a distinct possibility. But Ryan said at a Washington, D.C., news conference there is too much work to do in the House to allow speculation to continue.
“Let me clear,” Ryan said. “I do not want, nor will I accept the nomination of our party.”
Ryan also had a message for party delegates, who will select the nominee. If no candidate has a majority of the delegates needed to clinch the nomination on the first ballot, they should choose someone who is already in the race as the nominee.
“Count me out,” Ryan said.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s fundraising operation pulled in $17.2 million during the first quarter of 2016, his campaign said. The bulk of that money—about $11.1 million—was transferred to the House GOP campaign arm. Ryan’s campaign noted he is outpacing the fundraising operation of his predecessor, John Boehner (R-Ohio).
Ryan’s personal campaign raised $4.6 million over the three-month period, which he finished with $7.6 million in the bank. Ryan’s campaign operation—dubbed “Team Ryan”—said that was the biggest war chest for any member of Congress. Ryan has drawn a primary challenge from businessman Paul Nehlen.
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