Paul Ryan Will Face Another Ryan (First Name Jeremy) In Primary For His Congressional Seat

Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District has been firmly in the hands of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan for the past 15 years. This year, he has an insurgent primary opponent with the same last name.

The Ryan vs. Ryan race pits the incumbent and former vice presidential candidate against Jeremy Ryan, who is best known for riding his Segway through the halls of the state Capitol in protest of the policies of Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican majority in Legislature.

Jeremy Ryan said he is a true Republican who champions the policies of the Lincoln-era GOP.

“There was a time when progressivism and conservativism were pretty much the same,” he said. “I think if enough people hear about it, they’ll agree that our country can move forward if we focus on similarities instead of differences.”

University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Barry Burden doubts Ryan is a true Republican. Rather, he suspects Ryan is a mischief-maker.

Still, Burden said the incumbent Paul Ryan, of Janesville, could be vulnerable because he is focused more on promoting a national agenda.

“That’s just very different from spending time back in the district, having town hall meetings and dealing with constituent service requests,” said Burden. “I think that’s sort of a distraction for him from the big politics of Washington.”

Paul Ryan has paid little, if any, attention to his primary opponent. During a recent interview on Fox News he talked only about his national plan to tackle poverty.

One of the two Ryans will face the winner of the Democratic primary, which pits Rob Zerban against Amardeep Kaleka.