Washington • As soon as House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday he would retire at year’s end, the Beltway guessing game began: Who would run to take his lofty perch?
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana are likely candidates but another name drew interest Wednesday: Utah Rep. Rob Bishop.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, who corrals the powerful, conservative wing of the House, said that Bishop, an 18-year veteran of the chamber, could be a challenger for the speakership.
“A dark horse could be a guy like Rob Bishop, who nobody has on their radar screen,” Meadows told the New York Post. “Rob Bishop is well liked by the left and the right.”
Bishop, a former speaker of the Utah House who now heads the House Natural Resources Committee, demurred when asked if he’d seek the job later this year.
“He says Speaker Ryan has much yet to accomplish and it’s a little early to have this conversation,” Bishop spokesman Lee Lonsberry relayed.
Utah has never fielded a House speaker before, though then-Rep. Jason Chaffetz made a short-lived bid for the office in 2015 before bowing out when Ryan jumped into the race.
Republicans could hold leadership elections after the November midterms, though it’s unclear how quickly the caucus would do so.
In a statement earlier Wednesday, Bishop said he was shocked by Ryan’s choice to retire.
“Right now, I’m in a state of denial. I hate to see him go,” said Bishop, whom Ryan had appointed to head a task force on rebalancing government power. “Speaker Ryan has led the House through some of the most momentous accomplishments in recent history. Americans are now enjoying long-overdue tax relief and the United States military is better armed than it has been for decades. As the leader of the House, Speaker Ryan deserves much credit for these achievements.”
Other members of Utah’s all-Republican federal delegation also showered praise on the outgoing House speaker.
Ryan, who has spent nearly 20 years in Congress, said he wants to spend more time with his family and touted a “very bright future” for Republicans.
“I have accomplished much of what I came here to do, and my kids aren’t getting any younger,” the Wisconsin Republican told reporters Wednesday. “What I realized is if I serve for one more term, my kids will only have known me as a weekend dad.”
Utah Senate candidate Mitt Romney, who picked Ryan as his running mate in the 2012 presidential race, said Ryan accepted the speakership because of his “love of country” and it was a “role he alone could fill at a critical time.”
“He unified the House, passed scores of bills, and led with integrity, honor and dignity,” Romney tweeted. “The country will miss Speaker Ryan.”
Rep. Mia Love, whom Ryan mentored in her first term in the House, called the outgoing speaker a “great friend and also my brother and teacher.”
I couldn’t have asked for a better person to guide me through the complex and often difficult environment on Capitol Hill,” Love said in a statement. “His fiscal and institutional knowledge is on display every day, and he rises to the occasion. I am filled with gratitude as I wish him well, knowing he will be with his family and continue in great success in whatever he chooses to do next.”
Rep. John Curtis, a freshman member and former Provo mayor, noted that it was only a few months ago when Ryan swore him in ceremoniously surrounded by family and friends.
“That day, my life changed forever,“ Curtis said. “I immediately faced tough votes and a steep learning curve for challenges I never experienced as a mayor. Since my first day in Congress, Speaker Ryan has always been there to mentor and support me. He has led the House with honor and distinction. I will always be grateful for his leadership and friendship. We have accomplished so much this Congress, and I know that we have so much more left to accomplish under Speaker Ryan’s leadership.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch also said Ryan was a “dear friend” and that he was proud of “everything we have been able to accomplish together.”
“He didn’t ask for the job he has; he answered the call to serve and led us from one legislative victory to another,” Hatch said. “Our nation is better off today because of Paul Ryan.”
Ryan’s planned departure comes at a time when Democrats are aiming for a possible wave midterm election that would put them back in power in the House or the Senate, or both. A nearly record number of Republicans have said they will not seek re-election.
An average of recent polling by Real Clear Politics shows only about 13 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, with some 74 percent disapproving.
Follow @thomaswburr