The student run newspaper of Poolesville High School

Paul Ryan Opts Not to Run for Reelection

Current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, announced on April 11, 2018 that he would not be running for reelection in the November primaries.

In a statement made by Brenda Buck, counselor to Speaker Ryan, she listed Ryan’s reasons for leaving. “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.”

Ryan, who’s served in the House of Representatives since 1999, succeeded in his long-term goal of overhauling the U.S. tax code in December. According to a report by the Axions, an online political blog, Ryan felt more comfortable leaving a job with mounting stress attributed to President Donald Trump’s behavior. Trump called Ryan a “truly good man” in a tweet the same day Ryan announced his decision, stating “he will leave a legacy of achievement that nobody can question.”

Ryan’s choice signifies a significant threat to the future political power of the Republican Party, as rumors in Washington continue to grow that the Republicans believe the House cannot be held in the next primaries. According to an online poll by realclearpolitics.com, Democrats are leading the generic ballot for Congress by an average of 7.3 points.  “For comparison’s sake, in 2006, Democrats were leading the generic poll for Congress in April by an average of 7 points,” wrote Jane Coaston of Vox News. “That fall, Democrats won back control of the House and the Senate in their largest seat gain in the House since 1974.”

Due to controversy surrounding the Trump administration, scandal surrounding certain politicians, and increasingly public countercultural movements (such as gun control), many predict that the House  will be overtaken by Democrats in the next elections.“The conventional wisdom is solidifying that Democrats — buoyed by an unpopular President Donald Trump, an energized Democratic base, ample opportunities for pickups, and the historical rule that voters punish the party in the White House — will win the 20 or so seats they need to flip the House and maybe even get the Senate,” writes Dylan Scott of Vox news. “It was the not-so-subtle subtext of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s announcement that he will leave Congress next year.”

Within Poolesville High school, there are a number of views surrounding the nature of Ryan’s decision.

“Were I to speculate, I would say it is a mixture of growing tensions between himself and President Trump, and the fact that he may lose his seat in the midterm election, and does not want to have that on his record,” said Matthew Palatnik, a Humanities 10th grader, in response to Ryan’s explanation. “Also, because the Republicans are facing a difficult midterm election cycle, and because of Paul Ryan’s role as Speaker, he would be held somewhat responsible for a loss of Republican seats in the House.”

Michael Sabett, 12th grader in Humanities, gave a different view on Ryan’s statement. “I believe Ryan wants to spend time with his family, 100% especially after being speaker for these past few years. However, his term feels shorter than his predecessor, and given his young age and experience in the government, I would expect he’s gearing up for a possible 2022 or 2026 presidential run.”

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