On Thursday, right before the GOP's raucous presidential debate in Detroit, a super PAC called the Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, making it the latest Republican effort to stop Donald Trump from getting the nomination. On Monday, the group's honorary chairman, Earle Mack, sent out an email asking Republican voters to join him and his fellow #NeverTrump backers to pull House Speaker Paul Ryan into the race. "The presidential race has descended into little more than a schoolyard scuffle with poll after poll showing Donald Trump losing to Hillary Clinton in the general election," said Mack, who has already reportedly put $1 million of his own money into the effort.
Among the Republicans who don't support the Draft Ryan effort is Ryan, the 2012 GOP vice presidential candidate. On Friday, Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said the House speaker is "flattered, but not interested." And on Monday, a Ryan representative pointed to a letter one of Ryan's lawyers had sent to the FEC to act as "a formal disavowal of the organization and its activity." Ryan is not involved with the super PAC "in any way," the letter said, and "it is the speaker's sincere hope that donors and supporters are not confused by, or misled into supporting, this organization."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 5, 2024Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - mark your calendars, a relief, and more
-
'Wolf Hall: the Mirror and the Light' season two – still a "crown jewel"The Week Recommends Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance star in this 'superlative' Tudor drama on BBC One
-
'Election Day. Finally.'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Moldova's pro-West president wins 2nd termSpeed Read Maia Sandu beat Alexandr Stoianoglo, despite suspicions of Russia meddling in the election
-
2024 race ends with swing state barnstormingSpeed Read Kamala Harris and Donald Trump held rallies in battlegrounds over the weekend
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in UkraineSpeed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
-
Women take center stage in campaign finaleSpeed Read Harris and Trump are trading gender attacks in the final days before the election
-
US election: who the billionaires are backingThe Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
-
Supreme Court allows purge of Virginia voter rollsSpeed Read Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is purging some 1,600 people from state voter rolls days before the election
-
'Empowered' Steve Bannon released from prisonSpeed Read Bannon was set free a week before Election Day and quickly returned to his right-wing podcast to promote Trump
-
Canada accuses top Modi ally of directing Sikh attacksSpeed Read Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was allegedly behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists
