As Speaker, Ryan sees fundraising windfall

Team Ryan, Speaker Paul Ryan’s political operation, pulled in $5.3 million in the final quarter of 2015, millions more than his team raised during the same period a year earlier.

{mosads}The Wisconsin Republican’s strong fundraising quarter underscores how his new title as Speaker of the House is attracting big dollars and quieting critics who were worried he wouldn’t be able to fill the fundraising void left by his predecessor, John Boehner.

Team Ryan transferred $2.5 million to the House GOP’s campaign arm in December alone, bringing to $4.1 million his total transfers to the National Republican Congressional Committee since he became Speaker in late October.

Ryan has raised more than $170,000 for the NRCC through recent email and other online efforts.

“The most common thing I hear from donors is that they believe Paul Ryan is the future of our party and they have backed up that sentiment by engaging with Team Ryan early and in a meaningful way,” said Spencer Zwick, Team Ryan’s national finance chairman.

Part of Ryan’s fourth-quarter haul included $1.7 million for his reelection committee, up from roughly $600,000 during the same period in 2014. The Ryan for Congress committee now has $5.3 million cash on hand, a strong deterrent to any would-be challengers.

Prosperity Action, Ryan’s leadership PAC, raised $877,000 in the last quarter of 2015 and sent checks to dozens of House Republicans, aides said.

Last fall, Ryan was reluctant to take the top job in the House, saying he wanted to spend weekends with his children in Janesville, Wis., rather than traveling around the country raising cash for the party.

But Ryan now appears to be embracing his role as one of the GOP’s top fundraising draws. He was a special guest at a fundraiser last month that pulled in $192,000 for his House colleagues, including vulnerable Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Barbara Comstock (R-Va.).

And Ryan recently returned from a fundraising swing through Texas, where he toured through six regions with many members of the Texas delegation, including the state’s seven GOP chairmen.

“House Republicans, led by Speaker Ryan, will continue to advance bold solutions to the challenges we face and will give the American people a clear choice heading into the 2016 election,” said Kevin Seifert, executive director of Team Ryan.

“Speaker Ryan is committed to raising the resources needed to defend and strengthen the House majority in the year ahead, and he’s encouraged by this strong start.”