Congressman Peter King believes House Speaker Paul Ryan is not running for re-election so that he can spend more time with his family.
“He never wanted to be speaker in the first place. We literally had to drag him into it. This is probably the only person I know who is in a high office who didn’t want to be there,” King told WOR’s “Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning.
King said even when Ryan was named speaker, concessions were made so that he could spend more time with his family. He said Ryan’s goal in Congress was to reform the tax code, which he helped accomplish last year.
“That was, in Paul’s mind, his crowning achievement. He had done that and I think he wants to go out on a high note,” King said.
A number of Republicans have announced they won’t seek re-election ahead of the midterms. King downplayed the significance, saying many are running for higher office, others are worn out, and some would are being term limited out of chairmanships.
He admitted it’s going to be tough with many incumbents not running, but argued that Republicans are still in “good shape.”