By Allegra Kirkland
Published November 8, 2016, 12:11 PM EDT
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told reporters Monday that he felt confident he would be re-elected as speaker after a contentious election cycle that laid bare deep divides in the Republican Party.
“I feel very good where I am,” Ryan said after giving a speech at the local GOP office in Racine, Wisconsin, according to Politico. “I’ve gotten such a great outpouring of support from members. They know I took the job as a sense of duty, that duty is not done, and I plan on continuing doing that duty.”
Ryan’s reluctant support of Donald Trump and frequent disavowals of his inflammatory comments have sparked accusations of disloyalty from congressional supporters of the Republican nominee. Trump has himself made Ryan a frequent target, mocking him as a “weak” and “ineffective leader” for refusing to embrace his candidacy.
The speaker said the story was different behind Capitol Hill’s closed doors.
“I’m talking to members constantly all month long,” Ryan told Politico when asked about rumors of mutiny in his ranks. “This is what I do. If you are in leadership, you talk to members constantly.”
Republicans are expected to retain control of the House, and Ryan said he feels “really good about our majority.”
Read more at:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/paul-ryan-feels-very-good-remaining-house-speaker
