What Is Paul Ryan's Net Worth and Salary?
Paul Ryan is an American politician who has a net worth of $8 million. Paul Ryan served as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2019 and as Chairman of the House Budget Committee from 2011 to 2015. During his two decades in the House of Representatives, Ryan sponsored more than 70 bills or amendments, two of which were enacted into law. He also co-sponsored 975 bills, of which 176 have passed. Twenty-two percent of these bills were originally sponsored by Democrats. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2012 election, teaming up with Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
Early Life
Paul Ryan was born on January 29, 1970, in Janesville, Wisconsin. Ryan majored in economics and political science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Libertarian professor Richard Hart introduced Paul to the "National Review," and with Hart's recommendation, Ryan began an internship in the D.C. office of Wisconsin Senator Bob Kasten, where he worked with Kasten's foreign affairs adviser. Paul also attended the Washington Semester program at American University.
During college, Ryan was a member of the College Republicans and volunteered for the congressional campaign of John Boehner. Paul received a Bachelor of Arts in 1992 with a double major in economics and political science. His mother, Betty Ryan, reportedly urged her son to accept a congressional position as a staff economist attached to Senator Kasten's office, which he did after graduating in 1992. In his early years working on Capitol Hill, Paul supplemented his income by working as a waiter, a fitness trainer, a driver for Oscar Mayer, and several other odd jobs.
Career
Before serving as a U.S. Representative, Ryan was a speechwriter for Empower America (now FreedomWorks), a conservative advocacy group founded by Jack Kemp, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and William Bennett. He later worked as a speechwriter for Kemp, the Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 1996 United States presidential election. In 1995, Ryan became the legislative director for then-U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas. He returned to Wisconsin two years later.
At 28 years old, Ryan defeated Michael J. Logan in the Republican primary and went on to be elected to the House in 1998, rendering him the second youngest member of the House. He went on to serve for 20 years and was re-elected eight times. In 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006, he defeated his Democratic counterpart, Jeffrey C. Thomas. In 2008, he defeated Democrat Marge Krupp in the election. In the 2010 election, he defeated Democrat John Heckenlively. In 2012, he became Mitt Romney's running mate in the presidential election, and under Wisconsin law, he was allowed to run for both vice president and for Congress at the same time. They ended up losing to President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Paul was re-elected to the House with 55 percent of the district's vote, with 44 percent support in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. Ryan faced Democratic nominee Rob Zerban in the 2014 House election, which Paul won with 63 percent of the vote. He also won his bid for reelection in 2016, when he faced Democrat Rebecca Solen and won with 65 percent of the vote.
In 2015, Speaker of the House John Boehner announced to House Republicans his intent to step down from the speakership and the House. Kevin McCarthy, with wide support among his party, was considered the favorite. However, McCarthy's candidacy was opposed by conservative Freedom Caucus members, and he withdrew his name from consideration.
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Ryan quickly became the favorite candidate, with Boehner issuing him a plea and telling him that he was "the only person who could unite the House Republicans at a time of turmoil." Paul, in turn, released a statement that read, "While I am grateful for the encouragement I've received, I will not be a candidate." However, he had a change of heart and confirmed on October 22, 2015, that he would be seeking the position of speaker of the house, stating: "I never thought I'd be speaker. But I pledged to you that if I could be a unifying figure, then I would serve – I would go all in. After talking with so many of you, and hearing your words of encouragement, I believe we are ready to move forward as one, united team. And I am ready and eager to be our speaker."
Paul Ryan was elected Speaker one week later with 236 votes. After the vote, he delivered his first remarks as speaker-elect. He was sworn in by Dean of the House, John Conyers, and at the age of 45, he became the youngest person elected as Speaker and the leader of the House Republicans since 1989. He was re-elected as Speaker of the House in January 2017. In April 2018, he announced that he would not be running for re-election in November of that year. As the Democrats took control of the House, Nancy Pelosi took over as Speaker of the House.
Post-retirement, Ryan joined the board of directors of Fox Corporation. In August 2019, he joined the board of SHINE Medical Technologies and the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, where he did a stint as a guest lecturer in both economics and political science. He launched a non-profit in October 2019 called the American Idea Foundation.
Personal Life
Ryan married tax attorney Janna Christine Little in December 2000. The couple has three children. The family splits their time between Janesville, Wisconsin, and a rental home in Maryland.
Paul's father was an alcoholic who died at age 55 from a heart attack. Ryan attributes his death to years of heavy drinking. Due to a history of fatal heart attacks in his family, Paul is a fitness enthusiast and does cross-training programs such as P90X and runs marathons.
