WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan is definitively ruling out a bid for president this year, telling the GOP, “Count me out.”
In a statement at the Republican National Committee, Ryan said if the party can’t choose a nominee on the first ballot, the eventual choice should only be a candidate who participated in the primaries.
Ryan has faced persistent speculation that he could emerge as the GOP nominee from a contested Republican convention.
The Wisconsin Republican told reporters: “I simply believe that if you want to be the nominee — to be the president — you should actually run for it.”
