Paul Ryan Leaving Congress? His Constituents Think Not

Paul Ryan Leaving Congress? His Constituents Think Not


https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/paul-ryan-leaving-congress-his-constituents-think-not

Wisconsin’s 1st District split on Ryan support but no apparent groundswell of voters turning on him



Posted Apr 10, 2018 5:04 AM
Lindsey McPherson
@lindsemcpherson



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Speaker Paul D. Ryan has waited until late May to file for re-election the past three cycles. Speculation has been rife in D.C. that he may retire or resign, but many of his Wisconsin constituents think he’s staying in Congress. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

RACINE, Wis. — Colleen Prochazka and Guy Henken don’t agree on much when it comes to their representative Paul D. Ryan, but they both believe one thing: The speaker of the House is not leaving Congress anytime soon.

“He’s not a quitter,” Prochazka said of Ryan, predicting he will run for re-election this year and “he will not quit the job early.”

Henken, sitting next to his friend and bowling buddy at Buckets Pub in their hometown of Racine, agreed on the latter.

“He won’t quit,” he said. “He just won’t run if he doesn’t want the job.”

Unlike his friend, who supports Ryan, Henken loathes his representative. Twice a week he’d been sending what he acknowledged were “nasty” tweets directed at Ryan, until his Twitter account was suspended under suspicion of being a bot.

Prochazka and Henken are not alone in their thoughts about Ryan’s future and his politics.

Watch: Wisconsin Democratic Candidates Call Ryan Out on Gun Control

Roll Call interviewed more than three dozen residents of Wisconsin’s 1st District April 6-8 during stops in Racine, Kenosha, Oak Creek, Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, Williams Bay and Ryan’s hometown of Janesville.

Most of those interviewed believe Ryan will run for re-election and, if victorious, will serve another full term. Those constituents were about equally split between Ryan supporters and opponents, with the slight edge going to those who favor the 10-term congressman.

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Constituents from all across Ryan’s southeastern Wisconsin district had not heard any local chatter about Ryan planning to retire or resign from Congress this year, despite rumors coming out of Washington, D.C. The few who had heard of the rumors had mostly read about them in the press.

‘No doubt that he’s running’...................................................