http://thehill.com/homenews/house/273417-ryan-contested-convention-looking-more-likely By Scott Wong - 03/17/16 12:41 PM EDT
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday there’s no chance he’ll emerge as the GOP presidential nominee if no candidate captures enough delegates before this summer’s convention.
For the first time, however, Ryan acknowledged the increasing likelihood that the GOP nominee will be decided in Cleveland at what’s known as a contested or open convention.
Donald Trump is the clear front-runner, but whether he can clinch the nomination by winning 1,237 delegates before the party's July convention remains. unclear.
“Nothing has changed other than the perception that this is more likely to be an open convention than we thought before,” Ryan, the ceremonial chairman of the convention, told reporters. “We’re getting our minds around the idea that this could very well become a reality and that those of us who are involved in the convention need to respect that.”
The Speaker’s comments Thursday suggest party leaders are beginning to prepare for a floor fight at the convention at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.
When The Hill asked him in January about a possible contested convention, Ryan dismissed the idea.
“I think it’s ridiculous to talk about it,” he said at the GOP retreat in Baltimore.
But now, as convention chairman, Ryan said he’ll need to “bone up” on not only his ceremonial duties but also on the party rules governing what’s expected to be a raucous, unpredictable convention.
Ryan, Mitt Romney’s 2012 vice presidential running mate, also attempted to end the rampant speculation that he might be nominated if voting in Cleveland goes to multiple ballots. His predecessor, former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), suggested he’d back Ryan if no one has enough votes on the first ballot.
“It is not me. ... I saw Boehner last night and I told him to knock it off,” Ryan said. “I used slightly different words. I used his own words that he used against us when he told us to knock things off.
“It’s not going to be me. It should be someone running for president. ... Let’s just put this thing to rest and move on.”
