THE CAPITOL REPORT: Challengers line up to take on Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan was not so long ago the Republican nominee to be vice president of the United States.
Now, he’s the speaker of the House.
This means he’s so popular in his southeastern Wisconsin district that no one would bother to challenge him in next year’s election. Right?
Wrong.
Ryan, R-Janesville, as of early July had three Democrats and a Republican saying they want his 1st Congressional District seat.
One of the challengers, Randy Bryce, aka “IronStache” on Twitter, has attracted lots of national attention from Democrats anxious to make 2018 a big comeback year for the minority party. The iron worker from Caledonia (who also sports a moustache) announced in early July that he’s raised more than $430,000.
Since June 19, Bryce received more than 16,000 donations, according to his campaign, with the average donation totaling around $25.
Republican Mike Gallagher raised $520,000 in the first two months after he announced plans last year to run for the open 8th CD. His campaign said that was the best initial quarter for a first-time House candidate from Wisconsin. Gallagher went on to easily win the seat, taking over for Reid Ribble, a Republican.
Bryce, a veteran, cancer survivor and previous legislative candidate, hit the national stage when he released a viral ad announcing his candidacy, in which he asked Ryan to “trade places” with him and “come work the iron.”
Bryce most recently lost a state Senate bid to GOP Sen. Van Wanggaard of Racine. He also ran unsuccessfully for state Assembly in 2012, losing in a Dem primary.
Bryce primary opponents likely will include activist David Yankovich and Janesville School Board member Cathy Myers. Republican Paul Nehlen, a pro-Trump businessman who got swamped by Ryan in the 2016 GOP primary, is challenging him again from the right.
Myers told “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” a WisPolitics.com partner, that health care is a right and that she supports single-payer health care.
On an earlier UpFront show, Yankovich, the Ohio native who recently moved to Kenosha County to run against Ryan, acknowledged that as a newcomer, he would have to work hard to win the confidence of district voters.
Yankovich said his mother’s recent health problems prompted him to move from Ohio and challenge Ryan.
While Democrats may be excited, political pros caution that Ryan’s district tilts Republican, that he visits his district frequently, that his staff gets high ratings for handling constituent issues and that he’ll have a big fundraising advantage. On top of that, he’ll have a lot of turnout help from the state GOP, which will be on full throttle to help re-elect Gov. Scott Walker and beat Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
But Ryan will have his issues, as statewide polling numbers suggest. Almost two years into his term as House speaker, he’s increasingly becoming a national figure – and some insiders believe that explains the hit to his poll numbers back home. The latest Marquette University Law School Poll finds 44 percent of voters had a favorable view of him, while 44 percent did not. By comparison, in November 2015, shortly after Ryan became speaker, his numbers were 49-34.
To some, it’s the price of being speaker, which they call one of the toughest jobs in politics. On one side are Trump Republicans unhappy Ryan hasn’t been more helpful – in their view – in advancing Trump’s agenda. On the other are Dems who may have seen Ryan as a nice guy before, but now see him as taking marching orders from the president. Seventy-six percent of Republicans in the Marquette Law poll view him favorably, while 14 percent do not, which is worse than Trump’s 83-11 split with GOP voters.
