The Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, has announced that he will be retiring from his position at the end of his term in January 2019, along with not running for re-election this coming November.

Paul Ryan is a Republican lawmaker from Wisconsin and has been a member of the House of Representatives for the past 20 years.  In 2012 he ran as the GOP Vice Presidential nominee with Mitt Romney.

According to the New York Times, at the age of 45, Ryan was the youngest-elected Speaker of the House over the past one hundred years when accepting the position.  He has led the House of Representatives since late 2015 when John Boehner retired from the position.  From the Daily News, it was widely known that Ryan did not want the position of Speaker when he first took on the job, “But I have to thank my colleagues for giving me this opportunity and this honor.”  He has played a pivotal role in groundbreaking legislation, with his biggest accomplishment in helping with the recent tax reform, which took place in December of 2017.

Since his announcement to retire there have been many rumors that Ryan is considering running for President in the near future.  He has shut down these rumors, saying in an interview with CNN, “No plans to run for anything . . . and I really don’t think I’ll change my mind”.  He has told reporters that the main reason he will be retiring is to spend more time with his three children.

Paul Ryan isn’t the only GOP member to announce the decision not to run for re-election.  Senators Bob Corker from Tennesse and Jeff Flake from Arizona are some of the high-ranking Republican lawmakers who won’t be running for a position in the United States government.

The latest talk is who will replace Paul Ryan after he retires.  If the Republicans succeed and continue to control the majority of the House of Representatives after the mid-term elections this November, either the House’s majority leader Kevin McCarthy from California or Steve Scalise from Louisiana are the top candidates for the position.