House Speaker Paul Ryan insists he isn't interested in being the Republican presidential nominee, but Amber Phillips of
The Washington Post's The Fix blog isn't so sure after parsing Ryan's words.
Phillips admits Ryan's comments fall into a gray area, but argues that he didn't "categorically" rule out a nomination from a contested convention either.
"You know, I haven't given any thought to this stuff," Ryan told CNBC's John Harwood during Tuesday night's election coverage. "People say, 'What about the contested convention?' I say, well, there are a lot of people running for president. We'll see. Who knows?"
Those last two sentences are what set Phillips speculating that Ryan, who was Mitt Romney's 2012 running mate, might be open to being essentially drafted — just as he was for the House speakership that he adamantly said he did not want right up until the point that he accepted.
But Ryan told Harwood, "I don't see that happening," when asked about the possibility of a contested convention. "I'm not thinking about it. I'm happy where I am, so no."
Ryan's aides say his "so no" is an absolute rejection of accepting the nomination, Phillips writes, in addition to his statement that he already made the decision not to run for president this year, and if he wanted the job he would have run.
Talk of a contested convention has ramped up in recent days as Donald Trump appears increasingly likely to either win enough delegates to secure the nomination over the objection of party elites — or if neither Trump nor Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who also isn't well-liked in party circles, can secure the necessary number of delegates for a flat-out win.
"In some ways, Ryan brought this speculation — however annoying it might be for him — on himself," Phillips said. "If he really had absolutely zero intention of accepting the party's nomination at any point this election cycle, he could have simply said so. And he still can."
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