Ryan: ‘Duty is not done’ as Speaker

Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Monday he is “not worried” about potential challengers putting his position as House Speaker in jeopardy. 

“I feel very good where I am,” he told reporters Monday at a Republican Party office in Racine, Wis., according to Politico.

{mosads}“I’ve gotten such a great outpouring of support from members,” he added while campaigning alongside vulnerable Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). “They know I took the job as a sense of duty, that duty is not done, and I plan on continuing doing that duty.”

Ryan dismissed whispers in the House Republican Conference that his tenure as Speaker is coming to an end and said he’s not courting support from his colleagues.

“I’m talking to members constantly all day long,” he said of the mood among House Republicans. “This is what I do. If you’re in leadership, you talk to members constantly … I’m just talking to members [about] where they are with their races to see what they hear on the ground, how their campaigns are going. I do that constantly.”

Ryan said he remains optimistic about keeping a GOP majority in the House after Election Day.

“I’ve spoken to just about everybody in a tough race in the last 48 hours,” he said. “And I do feel very, very good. I think our candidates, our incumbents, are very strong.”

“[It’s] been a godsend, it’s really helped them out,” Ryan added of his “Better Way” House agenda. “They have a positive message. 

“They’re running really good campaigns. And we have really good candidates. So I’m feeling pretty darn good about where we are with our majority.”

Four House Republicans, including a senior lawmaker close to leadership, told The Hill last week they expect Ryan to step down after Tuesday’s elections.

At issue, they said, is Ryan’s tough path to securing the votes he needs to win a full two-year term leading House Republicans.

Ryan has at times struggled with keeping the House’s GOP members united around Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The Wisconsin lawmaker will need 218 votes on the House floor to retain the Speaker’s gavel during a Jan. 3 vote. Ten Republicans did not support Ryan last time around.