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Speaker Paul Ryan Campaigns for Zinke, No Mention of Trump

Jackie Yamanaka

House Speaker Paul Ryan urged Montana voters to return Congressman Ryan Zinke for a second term in the U.S. House. The Wisconsin Republican spoke briefly at a rally and fundraiser for Zinke at a private hangar the Billings airport Sunday morning.

The campaign stop was part of Ryan’s campaign swing on behalf of Republican Representatives.

Ryan said the U.S. House runs differently than the U.S. Senate.  He called it a meritocracy, “If you’re good, you get the ball and run with it.”

In the Senate, seniority matters. Ryan said that’s not the case in the House.

“Heck I was 13 deep in seniority when I became chair of Budget Committee,” he said. “The point I’m trying to make is Ryan Zinke is already a quarterback for us. He’s already stepping up and providing that leadership.”

Ryan said Zinke provided that leadership on lifting the ban on U.S. oil exports and or attempts to tighten the process to screen Syrian refugees who want to relocate to the United States.

The House Speaker said the country is at a crossroads and the decision is hanging on the outcome of next week’s general election.

“We have the right ideas to get this country back on track,” Ryan said. “We know what we need to do to get America back on the right track and the only way we can do that is if we vote for the Republicans up and down this ticket.”

Credit Jackie Yamanaka
Speaker Paul Ryan posed for pictures and signed autographs after he spoke at the rally. He immediately left Billings to campaign on behalf of a U.S. House candidate in Nebraska. Ryan has made it a point to campaign on behalf of GOP candidates fpr the U.S. House rather than for Donald Trump's presidential bid.

Ryan criticized the Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton. He said it’s always one scandal after another with the Clintons. Notably absent from Ryan’s brief speech was any reference to the Republican Presidential candidate, nor did he even speak Donald Trump’s name.

Even Congressman Ryan Zinke did not mention Trump, other than, “The Republican party is divided. Our country is divided. United we stand. Divided we fall. It’s that simple.”

Zinke said the world is safer when America is strong and it will take a strong economy to drive it.

Zinke’s Democratic challenger Denise Juneau has repeatedly criticized the Republican incumbent for his open support of Trump. She has also praised the House Speaker for his sometimes open criticism of Trump.

For his part, Paul Ryan is campaigning on behalf of House candidates rather than for Trump’s presidential bid. After the Billings rally, he flew to Nebraska to campaign for the Republican challenger there.

Credit Jackie Yamanaka
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (left) and U.S. Senator Steve Daines (right) shake hands with the crowd after the rally.

Other featured speakers at the Billings rally included U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate for state School Superintendent Elsie Arntzen.