WASHINGTON _ Speaker Paul D. Ryan has decided it is time to leave Congress, according to multiple reports.
Ryan intends to serve out his current term, but he will retire at the end of 2018 rather than seek re-election, according to reports citing sources familiar with the speaker's thinking.
The Wisconsin Republican, who long said his ambition was his previous role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, will always be able to point to having pushed a monumental overhaul of the tax code through during his speakership.
But it appears the 48-year old Ryan, who was effectively drafted to be speaker following the announcement that Republican John A. Boehner of Ohio would be stepping aside, will last a little less than three years in the job that he assumed Oct. 29, 2015.
Ryan's plan to not seek another term as a congressman in Wisconsin may come as a surprise to his constituents in and around his hometown of Janesville. It will also formally set of a frenzy for the role of House Republican leader, which given the current state of the 2018 map may be a race for speaker _ or minority leader.
As for the seat in Wisconsin, Ryan has represented the 1st District since 1998, and has easily won re-election since.
Some potential Republican contenders for his seat include Wisconsin state Assembly Speaker Ryan Vos and Bryan Steil, a member of the Board of Regents, according to Wisconsin Republican sources.
President Donald Trump carried the district by 10 points in 2016. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney won the district by 5 points in 2012, when Ryan was on the ballot as the vice presidential nominee. Former President Barack Obama carried the district by three points in 2008.
Ryan was listed as a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee target in 2018, and the DCCC added ironworker Randy Bryce to its "Red to Blue" program for promising candidates, which provides additional committee support. Janesville school board member Cathy Myers is also running in the Democratic primary.
Bryce had raised a staggering amount of money for a House challenger, thanks in part to his national profile garnered from a viral introduction video and the fact that he is taking one of the most powerful Republicans.
Bryce has raised $4.75 million since jumping into the race, his campaign announced earlier this month. That includes $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2018.
