U.S Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Those hoping to see U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) at the top of the Republican ticket in November of 2016 can stop speculating. In an interview with NBC News, the Wisconsin Congressman says he has decided not to run for president in two years.
Instead of mounting a presidential campaign, Ryan says he wants to spend the next two year focusing on how he can make a “big difference” in his new role as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He hopes that passing on a 2016 presidential campaign, just as the new session is starting, will show he’s ready to devote his “undivided attention” to his role on the influential committee.
Ryan was the Republican Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 2012, when he served as Mitt Romney’s running mate. He was sworn in last week to his ninth term in Congress representing Wisconsin’s First Congressional District.