House Speaker Paul Ryan is taking his 33 percent favorable rating on the road in the next few weeks to stump for House and Senate candidates. Clearly, they can't have Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell—Mr. 16.5 percent Popularity—do it, and they have to have some face out there besides Trump's, so it's all on Ryan.
The Wisconsin Republican will hit 17 states and 42 cities from several corners of the nation, from Texas to Florida to New York, while raising money and stumping for more than a dozen House and Senate candidates, according to his political advisers.
Unlike most of the speaker’s previous political travel — which focused on closed-door fundraisers — Ryan’s appearances will include many public events with Republicans who are facing difficult reelection prospects.
And Ryan is pretty much all they've got:
Ryan’s political prowess has come in part from being his party’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, introducing him to a vast array of wealthy conservative donors with strong ties to Mitt Romney and the Bush family. In addition, he’s benefited from many of those big donors abstaining from financially supporting Trump this year and instead focusing on protecting the House as well as the Senate majority.
Ryan's prowess: a place on the last losing Republican presidential ticket and "leadership" of fractured and warring caucus, a faction of which is planning his political downfall on a daily basis. This makes Ryan less of a political star for the Republicans than the only port they've got in this horrendous storm.
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