House Republicans divided as Ryan struggles to keep clout

WASHINGTON Seven months before his planned retirement, House Speaker Paul Ryan is facing growing disruption among the GOP ranks, raising fresh questions about his ability to lead a divided group of Republicans through a tough election season.

Ryan sought to quell infighting Tuesday, dashing back to Washington from Wisconsin and abandoning plans for family time at home, as he tried to unify the factions and reassert control over the majority.

In remarks to reporters, the speaker acknowledged restlessness among Republican lawmakers and argued an internal election to replace him at the helm would be a distraction. For now, he told reporters, “We all agree the best thing for us is to complete our agenda and not wedge into the middle of the completion of our agenda a divisive leadership election.”

Ryan’s job leading the rambunctious House Republicans has never been easy, but it has become more difficult since he turned himself into a lame-duck speaker by announcing he won’t seek re-election to Congress in the fall. The move immediately prompted questions about whether his status would undermine his efforts to set a legislative agenda and jeopardize Republican hopes of holding on the House majority in November’s midterm elections. Those questions intensified in recent days after Ryan tried and failed to pass a farm bill — a casualty of an unrelated immigration standoff.

Over the weekend, a top cabinet official mused openly about replacing Ryan. Republicans are publicly at odds, blaming one another for squandering the waning time before the elections.

It’s not at all clear how much longer Ryan will be able to stick around as planned, despite his ability to raise large sums for Republican re-election campaigns.

Behind closed doors at Tuesday’s meeting, the speaker made a plea for GOP unity, expressed his own frustrations over their divisions and encouraged Republicans to work together to rack up legislative accomplishments, according to lawmakers at the meeting who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private talks.