Paul Ryan made his announcement during an radio interview while stumping for GOP candidates in Wisconsin. | Getty Ryan: I'm running for speaker

It’s official: Paul Ryan is running for speaker.

The Wisconsin Republican during a Friday afternoon radio interview brushed aside rumors that he would step aside after Election Day, dismissing them as “palace intrigue in the Hill rags.”


“I am going to seek staying on as speaker,” Ryan told WTAQ’s Jerry Bader, while stumping for GOP candidates in Wisconsin. “There’s a lot of unfinished work to do and I think I can do a lot to help our cause and our country. I’ve led us to offer a very comprehensive agenda to take to the country and I want to execute and implement that agenda.”

“This is the typical chatter you have every two years,” Ryan added of recent suggestions on Capitol Hill that he’ll bow out of GOP leadership. “They call it ‘palace intrigue' in the Hill rags.”

House Republicans are expected to lose at least a dozen seats on Election Day, which would narrow Ryan’s margin to be re-elected as House speaker. He has to garner 218 votes to re-claim the position, and already some conservatives have privately talked about withholding their votes in an effort to push him further right — or perhaps out of the speaker's office entirely.

Nine Republicans voted against Ryan when he became speaker in Nov. 2015. A smaller margin in the House overall makes Ryan's margin in the speaker floor vote — which won't occur until January — even slimmer.

Ryan has angered some rank-and-file Republicans over his tepid support for Donald Trump, the GOP presidential candidate. While Ryan endorsed Trump and voted for him, the speaker refused to appear publicly or campaign with the nominee following the release last month of a video in which Trump crudely disparaged women. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) has already announced he won't back Ryan. And on Friday, conservative Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) signaled to Huffington Post that he may not vote for Ryan again. Massie did not vote for Ryan for speaker last year either.

“It would be very difficult for him to get my vote based on what I assume his motives are, which are to run for president in 2020,” Massie said.

Other top Republicans, however, are confident that Ryan can muster enough votes to win and remains the best — maybe only — person who can do so. In a statement for this story, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that he “has the overwhelming support and confidence of his colleagues.”

“Paul is far and away the best person to lead the House,” the California Republican said. “He has worked tirelessly with every element of our conference to build a substantive policy agenda. Right now he's crisscrossing the country campaigning non-stop for our majority.”

Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), meanwhile, said Ryan is “doing a tremendous job fighting to protect our Majority and make sure House Republicans are focused on advancing bold conservative ideas to get America back on track.”

“Once this election is over, we have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and Paul demonstrates every day that he is the right person to lead the House during these challenging times," he continued.

Internal GOP leadership elections are scheduled for Nov. 15. Ryan will easily win majority support to remain as speaker during that session, and it is unclear if any challengers will emerge.

But the real test for Ryan will come in January, on the first day of the new Congress. Speakers are elected during a roll call vote on the House floor. Depending on how Trump and House Republicans do on Election Day, and how Ryan handles the upcoming lame-duck session —including a potentially messy fight over government funding for the next year — Ryan could face real drama during that session.

Ryan, 46, rose to speaker last year following the sudden retirement of former Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio). McCarthy quickly announced he was going to run for speaker, but then faced opposition from the Freedom Caucus, which refused to endorse his bid. McCarthy then withdrew and threw his support behind Ryan.

A reticent Ryan — who clearly had his eyes more on the White House in the long term than the speaker's chair — didn't want to deal with the same battles that Boehner faced with conservative hardliners. Ryan demanded that the Freedom Caucus and other conservative rebels back his ascension, and they largely did.

Ryan enjoyed a brief honeymoon as speaker, and he was able to push through a year-long budget deal that took the threat of a government shutdown off the table.

However, Ryan's legislative agenda stalled, and House Republicans were not able to pass a budget or enact annual spending bills. He did push through a major Puerto Rico reform package, as well as legislation addressing the opioid crisis.

Ryan, with his national profile, has also proved a hugely successful fundraiser, raking in millions of dollars for House GOP incumbents and candidates during dozens of appearances.

Yet his tension with Trump has proved problematic for Ryan, the 2012 vice-presidential nominee. He has repeatedly called out Trump for comments that Ryan found racist or inappropriate, and he withheld his endorsement for weeks even after Trump had all but officially wrapped up the nomination.

Even during the GOP convention in Cleveland — which Ryan presided over — the Wisconsin Republican never appeared onstage with Trump.

Following release of the "Access Hollywood" video last month that included Trump's misogynistic comments, Ryan declared he wouldn't appear or campaign with Trump, and disinvited Trump to a Wisconsin event. Trump responded by repeatedly bashing Ryan in public comments and on Twitter, although the open feuding has largely dissipated for now.

However, if Trump tries to derail Ryan from being reelected as speaker, Ryan could face serious problems, Republican lawmakers and aides privately admit.