Paul Ryan has been having a bad year since the election of President Trump.
And to make matters worse, he is losing support from those within his own party.
But what just happened in one surprising state could be the worst news he’s received this year.
During a Minnesota candidate forum for GOP candidates in Congress, four candidates declined to say whether they’d support Paul Ryan if he runs for Speaker in the next Congress.
As reported by The Hill:
“Four Republican congressional candidates in Minnesota refused to commit their support to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) when asked about him at a candidate forum.
In a video from the Minnesota State Fair, the four would not say whether they’d support Ryan if he runs for Speaker in the next Congress.
The video was first reported on by The Washington Post.
Their answers suggest some GOP candidates may be reluctant to embrace Ryan as the GOP House struggles to pass legislation, and as President Trump calls into question the congressional leaders of his own party.
Ryan has also been a target for conservative media, which may be putting pressure on candidates to distance themselves from him.
“He might not even run for Speaker,” said St. Louis County Commissioner Pete Stauber, dodging the question.
Stauber is running unopposed in the GOP primary to take on Rep. Rick Nolan (D).”
This outlines a major struggle Ryan has been having, and it’s some hard proof that it’s becoming unpopular to support him.
In fact, Paul Ryan is now so unpopular that a recent NBC News poll showed he is more unpopular than even Democrat Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
This unpopularity is coming in response to inaction in Congress, which Trump is largely blaming on leadership.
Trump was heavily critical of Ryan’s handling of the recent debt ceiling negotiations.
He publicly went after both Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Twitter just days ago.
I requested that Mitch M & Paul R tie the Debt Ceiling legislation into the popular V.A. Bill (which just passed) for easy approval. They…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2017
…didn't do it so now we have a big deal with Dems holding them up (as usual) on Debt Ceiling approval. Could have been so easy-now a mess!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2017
It is becoming clear that if Paul Ryan doesn’t begin passing items on Trump’s agenda, that he may lose his job as Speaker, or even possibly be ousted from his House seat.
And with declining support from the President, his colleagues, and voters in his district, he has a lot of work to do if he is going to save face.
What do you think? Should Paul Ryan lose his job?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
