BREAKING: US House Speaker Paul Ryan to STEP DOWN and will not run for re-election!🇺🇸🇺🇸
US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election this year, in a big blow to Republicans ahead of autumn's mid-term elections.
Congress' most powerful lawmaker confirmed he would not stand for another term in his Wisconsin district this November.
According to sources Mr Ryan said his decision was family-related.
Republicans are already facing a tough challenge from Democrats to retain control of Congress' lower chamber.
A statement from his adviser, Brendan Buck, said: "This morning Speaker Ryan shared with his colleagues that this will be his last year as a member of the House.
"He will serve out his full term, run through the tape, and then retire in January.
"After nearly twenty years in the House, the speaker is proud of all that has been accomplished and is ready to devote more of his time to being a husband and father.
"While he did not seek the position, he told his colleagues that serving as speaker has been the professional honour of his life, and he thanked them for the trust they placed in him."
Mr Ryan's resignation will spark a frenzy of speculation in Washington about whether he could mount a potential presidential campaign. The 48-year-old clean-cut conservative, who has served in the House since 1999, was the vice-presidential running mate for Mitt Romney in 2012.
According to Axios, Mr Ryan has found his job frustrating, partly because of President Donald Trump.
In December he achieved his long-held goal of overhauling the US tax code, and according to Axios, felt satisfied enough with that achievement to leave.
Reacting to the news, conservative congressman Jim Jordan told Fox News it was too early to decide who would replace Mr Ryan.
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