Published: April 12, 2018
Local reaction mixed to Ryan not seeking re-election
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
Reaction was mixed after Wednesday morning’s
announcement that Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for
re-election in November, ending a 20-year political career in Washington.
But, there was a common thread between
Republicans and Democrats after the announcement: intrigue.
“It’ll be interesting,” said Dennis Degenhardt,
vicechairman of the Democratic Party of Washington County. “It’s a big day in
Wisconsin politics. We never had a Speaker of the House before. The next few
weeks or few months will be interesting and what it’ll mean for the state and
the political picture.”
Jim Geldreich, chairman of the Washington
County Republican Party since 2005, said, “(It) depends on who runs for his congressional
seat.”
Geldreich said he was surprised at the news. “I
watched the press conference,” he said. “It sounds like, being a congressman
and Speaker of the House, it’s such a major commitment; he needs more time with
his family.
“He’s been a great leader, a bright young
conservative mind. He really did a great job with the budgets over the years.
It’s a big loss for Wisconsin and the country.”
Ryan’s seat for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional
District was up for re-election in November. Earlier this year, Ryan, 48,
denied rumors about resigning.
After the spring election last week, Gov. Scott
Walker tweeted about a “blue wave” after Rebecca Dallet won the election for a
State Supreme Court
seat over Michael Screnock.
Degenhardt, who as a Democrat won the traditionally
conservative city of West Bend during the special election for the 58th
Assembly District in January, believes that may have played a role in Ryan’s
decision.
“I don’t know if he thought he couldn’t win or
the battle it would take (to win) would be very, very tough,” Degenhardt said.
“I’m not sure. ... As a Democrat, I hope we can balance some things out.”
Shortly after Ryan’s announcement, support
poured in for the Janesville native.
“Wisconsin has a long history of producing
great leaders, and Paul Ryan is one of its greatest,” said State Sen. Alberta
Darling, who represents Wisconsin’s 8th District, which includes Milwaukee,
Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties, in a statement. “Paul always
answered the call when his leadership was needed, yet never lost track of his
roots. He worked tirelessly to represent his district and Wisconsin. Despite
all of his accomplishments in Washington, there is no more important task than
to be a husband and a father. I know he looks forward to spending more time
with his family and wish him well in retirement.”
On the other side, IBEW Local 494 Business
Manager Dean A. Warsh issued a statement, “This is increasingly one of the most
important races in the nation. Speaker Ryan realizes working families are sick
and tired of his leadership, because he has consistently attacked the working
class and used his powerful position to advocate for big-money donors, not his
middle-class constituents.”
Ryan was elected the 54th Speaker of the House
in 2015, replacing John Boehner, who retired.
“He was a huge improvement over John Boehner,”
Geldreich said. “He’s still someone relatively young and to be that powerful
for him to leave is difficult to replace.”
Geldreich met Ryan and each time they met after
that, Geldreich thought it was neat that Ryan remembered his name and
represented the Republican Party in Washington County.
“His personality is very energetic,” Geldreich
said. “The events that I’ve been at and he’s there, he enters the room and it
lights up with his presence.”
Degenhardt did commend Ryan for making a
difficult decision.
“I really appreciate that family was that
important to make that kind of decision,” he said.
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