House Speaker Ryan told confidants he won't run again: Axios

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, has told confidants he will announce soon that he will not run again in November, Axios news site reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter.

Ryan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reports of Ryan’s departure have circulated for months. Politico reported in December that Ryan told confidants he would like to retire after the 2018 congressional elections.

The Axios report cites unidentified friends as saying Ryan, a longtime champion of tax reform, was ready to step down after passing a tax reform bill.

The legislation was President Donald Trump’s first major legislative victory since he took office in January 2017 despite being helped by Republican control of Congress.

Ryan would be unlikely to publicize any planned departure because it could hurt his fundraising capacity on behalf of fellow Republicans and undercut his ability to make deals in the House of Representatives.

More than three dozen House Republicans have announced that they are retiring, running for another office, or resigning. Democrats need to win 24 seats in the November elections to retake a majority in the House, which Republicans have controlled since 2011.