MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
And House Speaker Paul Ryan made some news today with this surprise.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PAUL RYAN: This year will be my last one as a member of the House.
KELLY: The representative from southeastern Wisconsin says he wants to spend more time with his family.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
People back in Ryan's hometown, Janesville, Wis., have their own theories. Here's independent voter Don Eddy (ph).
DON EDDY: He knows that he's beat. I think that's why he's not running again - is because he knows he's up against a lot that he doesn't want to deal with anymore. And plus, he's tired of arguing with the rest of the Republican Party that are turning into a bunch of Trump supporters.
KELLY: Linda Fruwirth (ph) is a Republican in Ryan's district, and she says she's worried.
LINDA FRUWIRTH: I think he's - maybe it's a sign that the Republican Party should take a step back and look what has happened over - since the new administration took office. We've lost a lot of good people.
KELLY: Paul Ryan becomes the 39th Republican House member to either retire or seek another office. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.