Paul Ryan faces a Republican primary challenge.
Chicago:
House Speaker Paul Ryan faces a Republican primary challenge Tuesday in his home state of Wisconsin -- a race thrust into the national spotlight due to presidential hopeful Donald Trump's lukewarm, and belated, endorsement of the incumbent.
Ryan, the top elected Republican in the United States, has been elected nine times by constituents in his congressional district, so the race would usually garner little attention. With a roughly 80 percent approval rating, he is still expected to win.
But this time around, he faces an opponent who has openly supported Trump, and the Republican White House candidate -- with whom Ryan has sparred throughout the campaign -- only offered his support on Friday.
The movement against the 46-year-old Ryan has taken on the appearance of a revolt of sorts, in the midst of an anti-establishment wave that helped make Trump the party's presidential nominee.
Ryan's challenger, businessman Paul Nehlen, has managed to get outsized attention by staging protests near Ryan's home.
In one July 23 incident, Nehlen supporters and mothers whose children were killed by undocumented immigrants challenged Ryan's lack of full support for Trump's immigration agenda.
Ryan has criticized Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Eleanor Powell, who teaches political science at the University of Wisconsin, cautioned that a "low-turnout, early August primary" was tough to predict.
Evidence of Trump's impact will come from who is inspired to show up at the polls and how those voters influence the outcome, she said.
"Certainly among local Republican elected officials, they've been pushing back pretty hard against some of Trump's comments," Powell said.
Trump touched off a firestorm last Tuesday when he refused to endorse Ryan for re-election. Instead, the brash billionaire also praised Nehlen.
Conservative figures Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter have offered Nehlen their support, with Coulter stumping for him in Wisconsin.
Slipping in the polls and with many Republicans aghast at their nominee's rhetoric, Trump reversed course Friday and offered Ryan his endorsement during a campaign rally in Wisconsin.
But that may have been too late to reverse permanent damage to Trump's relationship with local Republicans in Wisconsin -- an important swing state, Powell said.
"The endorsement helps patch over the surface differences," she said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ryan, the top elected Republican in the United States, has been elected nine times by constituents in his congressional district, so the race would usually garner little attention. With a roughly 80 percent approval rating, he is still expected to win.
But this time around, he faces an opponent who has openly supported Trump, and the Republican White House candidate -- with whom Ryan has sparred throughout the campaign -- only offered his support on Friday.
The movement against the 46-year-old Ryan has taken on the appearance of a revolt of sorts, in the midst of an anti-establishment wave that helped make Trump the party's presidential nominee.
Ryan's challenger, businessman Paul Nehlen, has managed to get outsized attention by staging protests near Ryan's home.
In one July 23 incident, Nehlen supporters and mothers whose children were killed by undocumented immigrants challenged Ryan's lack of full support for Trump's immigration agenda.
Ryan has criticized Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Eleanor Powell, who teaches political science at the University of Wisconsin, cautioned that a "low-turnout, early August primary" was tough to predict.
Evidence of Trump's impact will come from who is inspired to show up at the polls and how those voters influence the outcome, she said.
"Certainly among local Republican elected officials, they've been pushing back pretty hard against some of Trump's comments," Powell said.
Trump touched off a firestorm last Tuesday when he refused to endorse Ryan for re-election. Instead, the brash billionaire also praised Nehlen.
Conservative figures Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter have offered Nehlen their support, with Coulter stumping for him in Wisconsin.
Slipping in the polls and with many Republicans aghast at their nominee's rhetoric, Trump reversed course Friday and offered Ryan his endorsement during a campaign rally in Wisconsin.
But that may have been too late to reverse permanent damage to Trump's relationship with local Republicans in Wisconsin -- an important swing state, Powell said.
"The endorsement helps patch over the surface differences," she said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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