Republican Paul Ryan has defeated Ryan Solen in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District in his re-election bid with more than double the Democratic challenger’s percentage of the vote.
The Associated Press called the race at 8:36 p.m., just a little more than 30 minutes after polls closed Tuesday in Wisconsin.
At Ryan’s victory party in Janesville, he praised his family and friends, and said he’s eager to get back to work in Congress, where he serves as House speaker.
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“To get on with fixing our country’s problems. We have so much potential in this country,” he said. “And if we can just tap it, that’s what’s ahead of us.”
Ryan never agreed to debate Solen, a Mount Pleasant Democrat. Instead, he used TV commercials and a few personal appearances in his southern Wisconsin district to promote his agenda of lower taxes and firm foreign policy.
Ryan was first elected to represent southeastern Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District in 1998. He succeeded John Boehner as speaker last year.
Solen, a computer analyst from Racine County, did a lot of door-to-door campaigning to highlight his message of greater use of diplomacy overseas, and balancing the federal budget through a mix of spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy. Solen also pushed for a single-payer health care system, modeled after one available to the U.S. Military. Solen is a former U.S. Army officer who served in Iraq.
Ryan has denied claims he will not continue to serve as House speaker.
Ryan took pointed criticism from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump last month after Ryan told House members he would no longer defend or campaign for Trump. Ryan made the pledge after a tape surfaced of Trump making predatory remarks about women in 2005.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional reporting from WPR.
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