Rep. Paul Ryan says he won't join the 2016 presidential race if Mitt Romney decides to run.
The Wisconsin Republican revealed his hypothetical plans on
HuffPost Live on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't if he were. I would support Mitt. If he were to run, I would not," Ryan said. "But I don't even know if I'm going to either myself. That's something I'm going to decide in 2015."
Romney and Ryan ran for president on the same ticket two years ago but came up short to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Romney and his wife have been giving mixed signals on whether he will make another run at the White House in 2016, which would be his third attempt.
"He thinks his time has come and gone. He wants other people to get into the race," Ryan said. "I think a lot of people, especially on our side of the aisle — I am one of those, by the way — think he would be a fantastic candidate. I would like to see him run again, but I think he's pretty clear that it's definitely not his intention. He's not trying to start this buzz, he's not trying to mount another comeback."
In May,
Romney said he would not try to become the next president:
"I'm not running for president in 2016. I'm going to be supporting someone who represents the practical conservatives that I think we need," he said.
Last week, however, Romney's wife, Ann, would not definitively say no when asked by
Fox News' Neil Cavuto if her husband would launch another attempt at the Oval Office.
"Mitt and I, at this point, are not making plans," she said.
When asked whether Romney would run if former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush decided not to go for the Republican nomination, she changed her tune slightly: "Well, we will see, won't we, Neil?"