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Leadership, Strategic Blueprints, wispundits • October 28th, 2008

The Paul Ryan factor

by Chris Lato


Does U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan have his eye on higher office?

He’d better. Ryan is one of the brightest stars for the Wisconsin GOP right now. He’s young, bright, articulate, telegenic, well-liked in Republican circles and a conservative true believer who appeals to the blue collar constituents that make up a large portion of his 1st District base.

Do Ryan’s future plans include running for governor or US Senate? I think Republicans will have a good crop of candidates running for governor, led by the all-but-certain candidacy of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker - who continues to stand up for conservative principles under extreme pressure from those who can’t process why a Republican is running a Democratic county. Other names have been thrown around but no one else is as appealing at this stage of the game.

(One caveat – if Gov. Doyle decides to bail on Wisconsin if Barack Obama is elected president, watch for GOP candidates to come out of the woodwork for the chance to take on the current lite gov, Barbara Lawton. It’ll almost surely be a primary election bloodbath.)

Also, when was the last time a member of Congress made a successful bid for the Wisconsin governor’s office? Mark Green ran in 2004. We all know how that went. Does that indicate a preference for more ‘homegrown’ talent, folks who came up in the Wisconsin legislature or who don’t have D.C. baggage?

Regardless, Ryan has the stuff to be an outstanding candidate for U.S. Senate. I would accept other suggestions, but there are few names better suited to take on Russ Feingold in 2010. Feingold will be tough to beat under the best of circumstances, but Ryan is poised for the challenge.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Leadership, Strategic Blueprints, wispundits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “The Paul Ryan factor”
  1. Josh Schroeder Says:
    October 28th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    Bobby Jindal made the leap from U.S. House to Governor but he’s the exception, not the rule. It’s hard to make the transition from Washington Legislator to State Executive. It’s very easy to distort and tear apart a legislative record, especially when it’s a record in Washington which is “broken and corrupt” (doesn’t every candidate say he’ll clean up Washington every two years?). And a Congressman doesn’t normally have a lot of name ID outside his district.

    I’d say the best case scenario for Ryan to beat Feingold is if Obama wins next week. Feingold will be a long-time Washington insider and a member of the majority party that controls both elected branches of Federal government. By 2010, he will have been in office for 18 years. I don’t think Wisconsin likes a Senator who is in lock-step with the President regardless of party affiliation.

    If Paul Ryan assembles a good team and campaigns like a mad man all across the state for the next two years (Lincoln dinners, parades, you name it) then he bags the nomination.

    Personally, I think the hardest part will be to get him to run in the first place. He’s got a wife and three little ones; Paul is a family man. A statewide race can put a toll on a family.

    Then again, Wisconsin is likely to lose a House seat in two years based on census data, so he could very well be drawn out of office through redistricting, which would create an “up-or-out” situation such that if he doesn’t run for the Senate, he’s out of Congress.

    Running for Senate is a hard choice to make, especially when facing an incumbent. I wish him all the best. He’s a good man and a good Congressman.

  2. Chris Lato Says:
    October 29th, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Hey Josh,

    Thanks for your thoughtful remarks. Paul Ryan is just good people, from what I have seen he has worked hard to win over the GOP grassroots over the years, and he has a certain crossover appeal that is apparent considering the district he represents. And you raise a good point about Feingold - I expect he will be making some major ‘maverick’ moves in the next couple of years to show he’s no Obama lapdog if Obama wins.

  3. Chuck Says:
    November 6th, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    Paul Ryan is an up and comer for sure and the brightest spot in the GOP right now. I would say there are two possible scenarios. One he takes over for Herb Kohl when he vacates. Two, he takes a leadership position in Congress and takes his Roadmap to get something done by finding issues that Democrats know that the country must face. This will bring him national prominence and a possible shot at the VP spot in 2012 or 2016. I honestly could see a young Ryan and Jindal on the ticket one day… both are true conservatives and that is what wins.

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