Paul Ryan Nomination? Republican Donors Secretly Push For Ryan
According to sources close to major Republican donors, there may be a push for a Paul Ryan nomination behind closed doors, and some analysts are saying it looks like he’s got a strong chance of getting the nomination at a contested convention.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has come out publicly against the rumors that he’s running for the Republican nomination, but analysts are reporting it’s a strong possibility at a contested convention this summer. Paul Ryan is popular among Tea Party voters, the Republican establishment, and he’s got one added benefit for Republican voters: he says he doesn’t want the nomination. New York Magazine reports that President William Tecumseh Sherman also didn’t want the nomination, and he also ended up winning in part due to his reluctance.
But Huffington Post is reporting today that sources close to Republican super-donor Charles Koch suggest that the Koch brothers definitely want a Republican presidency, but they might not want Trump, Kasich or Cruz to take the mantle – they reportedly want Paul Ryan, and the Huffington Post speculates that they’re getting the fundraising in line to make that happen.
RNC chair Reince Priebus on a possible Paul Ryan nomination: "Our candidate is someone who is running" #CNNSOTU https://t.co/gY5ydLTUdE
— CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2016
According to confidential sources who spoke to the Huffington Post, Charles Koch told close friends that Paul Ryan would be a “shoo in” for the Republican nomination at a contested convention this summer, if the Republican presidential nomination isn’t scooped up by Trump or Cruz before then. It’s looking increasingly likely that a contested convention this summer in Cleveland might just be the only way that one of the Republican candidates secures the nomination – and if that’s the case, the floor opens up to any registered Republican, including Paul Ryan, even if he says he doesn’t want it.
The Huffington Post reports that the Koch brothers – who are known to be Republican super-donors, contributing big portions of their wealth to conservative causes – are allegedly very fond of Paul Ryan, and would certainly support a Paul Ryan nomination this summer. According to the anonymous source speaking to the Huffington Post, the Koch brothers appreciate Paul Ryan’s acumen as House Speaker, a role he’s taken to rather well – with fans on both sides of the aisle.
A Paul Ryan nomination might just be a pipe dream, but it’s an appealing one for many Republican voters who are reportedly increasingly turned off by the tone of the Republican primary. Paul Ryan, though he continues to deny interest in the nomination, has continued to behave in a way that leads analysts close to the Republican party to speculate that Ryan could secretly be lining up for the Republican nomination.
Paul Ryan says he absolutely will not be the GOP nominee for president.https://t.co/A4f8SI5Vc2
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) April 4, 2016
Just this week, Paul Ryan made a trip abroad to visit Israel, where he was asked by the Israeli press whether or not he’d accept the presidential nomination.
“I decided not to run for president, I think you should run if you’re going to be president. I think you should start in Iowa and run to the tape,” Speaker Paul Ryan told the Times of Israel on Sunday, during his first trip abroad as House Speaker.
Though, as New York Magazine points out, Paul Ryan hasn’t made a “Shermanesque” statement – he hasn’t said publicly that he will deny the nomination if he is given the nod by a contested convention this summer.
Still, Paul Ryan speaking with the Times of Israel this weekend speculated on the state of the Republican primary race. Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin is the next primary in the Republican race, and he speculates that a win in Wisconsin could set Trump up for the nomination, and a win for Cruz could increase the odds of a contested convention this summer – a convention which could see a Paul Ryan nomination.
[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images]
