Speculation that House Speaker Paul Ryan is positioning himself to snatch the GOP presidential nomination at a brokered convention has spurred his tea party-backed primary challenger to vow #NeverRyan.
Paul Nehlen, a wealthy businessman challenging Mr. Ryan in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, offered the #NeverRyan slogan in response to the #NeverTrump movement that is determined to block front-runner Donald Trump from becoming the Republican presidential nominee.
Mr. Nehlen said late Monday that it was “completely transparent” that the speaker was angling to be the Republican Party establishment’s late substitution to deny the presidential nomination to Mr. Trump or the other two candidates in the race.
“What’s obvious to anyone watching is that he’s not only betrayed Wisconsin’s 1st District, he’s getting set to betray the entire nation,” Mr. Nehlen said.
Mr. Nehlen mounted the primary challenge saying he felt betrayed by Mr. Ryan on immigration, trade and federal debt — sentiments expressed widely throughout the tea party movement nationwide.
He made the comments as Wisconsin voters went to the polls for a GOP presidential primary that could prove critical in forcing a contested convention in July in Cleveland.
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The speaker’s name has popped up often as a potential “white knight” alternative to Mr. Trump or rivals Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at a brokered convention if none secure the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the nomination on the first ballot at the convention.
Republican Party officials and Mr. Ryan have dismissed talk of such a scheme.
Still, Mr. Nehlen said that Mr. Ryan was pushing a plan lifted from the TV political drama “House of Cards.”
“He says he’s not interested in being president, but he’s plainly positioning for the job,” said Mr. Nehlen, adding that he was focused on the concerns of the people in the district.
“Paul Ryan hasn’t been focused on his constituents for a very long time,” he said. “In fact, he’s working in direct opposition to our concerns on manufacturing and trade, on immigration, on budgets and spending, and more. He’s angling for a promotion. But what on earth has he done to merit one? If the GOP gives Ryan the presidential nomination at the national convention, I could never vote for him.”
The Ryan campaign did not immediately respond to Mr. Nehlen’s comments.
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• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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