Paul Ryan says he won't run in 2016 if Mitt Romney does. Is that a hint?
| Washington
Paul Ryan says he won鈥檛 run for president in 2016 if his old friend Mitt Romney mounts another effort to win the Oval Office.
鈥淚 would support Mitt. If he were to run, I would not,鈥� Representative Ryan (R) of Wisconsin told the .
Ryan, former Governor Romney鈥檚 vice presidential running mate in 2012, said he hasn鈥檛 made up his mind what he鈥檒l do if Romney doesn鈥檛 enter the race. Some top Republican figures are pressing Ryan to consider a White House campaign, but so far he hasn鈥檛 seemed very eager about the prospect.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I鈥檓 going to decide in 2015,鈥� he said.
Does this mean Ryan suspects that the Mittster might be preparing to get the gang back together and try again for the presidency?
Maybe. He wouldn鈥檛 be alone. Washington conventional wisdom used to be that there was no way Romney would risk another try, despite the rumblings. Now there鈥檚 a sort of surprised fascination in the subject, since Romney himself keeps opening the door, a bit.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of people looking at the race. We鈥檒l see what happens,鈥� said Romney in a widely cited on Sunday.
And it just might work. At Vox today, Andrew Prokop lists the reasons why . Among them: There鈥檚 not a clear GOP frontrunner, and Romney is already well-known among his party鈥檚 donors and voters.
鈥淩omney 2016 isn鈥檛 being taken as seriously as it deserves to be,鈥� Mr. Prokop writes.
There鈥檚 probably loyalty at work in Ryan鈥檚 deferral to a possible Romney run. Mitt鈥檚 the man who gave him a chance at the highest level of US politics.
But there鈥檚 cold calculation there, as well. The Republican establishment 鈥� which includes most of the GOP House leadership, from Speaker Boehner on down 鈥� will likely coalesce around a single candidate to try and defeat the party鈥檚 insurgent wing.
鈥淲ith the Republican field as open as it is, it would make sense for policy demanders to unite around Romney to head off a more divisive insurgent candidacy from someone like Ted Cruz or Rand Paul,鈥� writes Julia Azari, an assistant professor of political science at Marquette University, on the .
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush might be the establishment鈥檚 first choice. But as Vox鈥檚 Prokop notes, a Bush run is looking increasingly unlikely. He鈥檚 seen as soft on immigration by many GOP primary voters. There are questions in the party as to whether the nation is ready for a third Bush president.
Ryan himself might be a second choice. But there鈥檚 talk Ryan鈥檚 real goal is the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee 鈥� historically one of the nation鈥檚 most powerful legislative posts.
Then there鈥檚 Romney. He鈥檚 tanned and rested, if not ready. Some in the party think he鈥檇 match well against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in terms of gravitas and experience.
But he鈥檚 got baggage, no doubt. His 2012 run was kind of a mess, he鈥檇 again symbolize the wealthy businessperson side of the party, and he鈥檚 not exactly a dynamic retail campaigner.
鈥淗e should not run for president a third time,鈥� writes conservative Jennifer Rubin on at The Washington Post.
