Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan said the position of speaker of the House may be up for grabs, but he’s not vying for it.
During a luncheon in San Antonio, a questioner asked the congressman: “Does Paul Ryan want to be speaker?” Mr. Ryan replied, “No, he doesn’t,” according to Politico.
It would be too time-consuming and detract from family, he said, despite the fact that he was GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate in 2012.
Mr. Ryan said he and his wife decided during the 2012 campaign that they would “see each other more in the vice presidency than as a member of the House,” Politico reported.
“We would see each other less in the speakership than as a member of the House,” he said.
On top of that, Mr. Ryan said he’s “more of a policy person. I prefer spending my days on policy and my weekends at home with my family. My weekends consist of going to the YMCA for basketball and then one of their neighborhood parishes for basketball these days. I want to keep doing that.
“The speaker is expected to fly around the country on weekends as well, helping folks,” he said, according to Politico. “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.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.