BREAKING: House Speaker Paul Ryan To Retire

CNBC reports:

House Speaker Paul Ryan has privately told confidants he does not plan to run for re-election this year, multiple reports said Wednesday. The Wisconsin Republican could announce his decision “soon,” according to the news outlet. The GOP faces a tough fight to hold on to a House majority in November amid Democratic enthusiasm and opposition to some policies pushed by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.

Ryan, who has served in the House since 1999, likely would win a re-election bid. But he would have faced a better funded opponent than he is used to in Democrat Randy Bryce, whom the House Democrats’ campaign arm is supporting. The two most likely to replace him are Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, though Scalise has said he won’t run against McCarthy, who appears to have first bite at the Apple.

Congrats to Paul Ryan for finally succeeding in giving the people what they want.

— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) April 11, 2018

Perhaps Paul Ryan is bailing because he fears the House will go Democrat.

.@realDonaldTrump -> Time to step it up to shore up mid-term races.

I have solid ideas to hold the house… but the time for that is now, not later.

— Eric Bolling (@ericbolling) April 11, 2018

Paul Ryan will be remembered as the most ineffective Speaker of the House in modern history.

Nancy Pelosi will be remembered as the most effective Speaker of the House in modern history.

— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) April 11, 2018

Paul Ryan’s retirement makes sense given political realities and the GOP’s current direction but further signals that today’s GOP is Trump’s Party and will likely only get worse.

— Mindy Finn (@mindyfinn) April 11, 2018

Paul Ryan is the 40th House Republican not running for reelection. That's twice as many as Democrats (19).

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) April 11, 2018

Paul Ryan’s tenure as Speaker could best be described as having never commented on tweets.

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) April 11, 2018

Dear Paul Ryan: You will be remembered by history as a man with no backbone, courage or character, a stupid man who only played a smart man on TV, who helped enable America's most perilous epoch. Bye, Felicia! Good riddance. pic.twitter.com/SxWrjpDxBQ

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) April 11, 2018

Paul Ryan is not running for re-election. He’s running away from the horror that is Donald Trump.

— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) April 11, 2018

The thing about Paul Ryan not running for re-election is that the next Republican House leader will probably be more, not less, pro-Trump.

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) April 11, 2018