West Virginia, Ohio reps react to Paul Ryan’s retirement announcement

Ryan, R-Wisconsin, will retire at the end of his term in January. He said Wednesday that he wanted to spend more time with his family and didn’t want his children to know him only as a “weekend dad.”

“Speaker Paul Ryan didn’t seek the position, but he answered the call and provided steadfast leadership to the House of Representatives,” said Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., one of several elected officials to issue a statement following Ryan’s announcement on Wednesday. “While we are sad to see such a close friend leave us at the end of this term, we respect his desire to spend more time with his family.”