Paul Ryan Boasts $10M On Hand For 2018 Campaign

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has nearly $10 million on hand for his re-election bid.

The Wisconsin Republican’s campaign said Thursday it raised $1.4 million in the final three months of 2017. That left the congressman with $9.7 million in the bank heading into his 2018 challenge.

Ryan’s campaign says it’s his biggest haul heading into an election year in his nine terms in Congress. He was voted House speaker in 2015.

Democrats Randy Bryce and Cathy Myers are running to take on Ryan. He also faces long shot Republican challenger Paul Nehlen.

Bryce is a union ironworker. He says he raised $1.2 million in the final quarter of 2017, but he hasn’t yet reported how much cash he has on hand. Myers is a Janesville school board member. She raised just short of $183,000 and had $107,000 cash on hand.

Late last year, Politico published a report that Ryan is considering retiring after the 2018 midterm elections, citing conversations with dozens of people that know him. A spokeswoman for the speaker called the reporting “pure speculation.”