Paul Ryan Opts Out of Wisconsin Senate Race

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan announced earlier today that he would not be seeking the U.S. Senate seat now held by retiring Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl.

Ryan, whose budget proposal calls for more than $4 trillion in cuts in federal spending over the next decade, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this morning that “it would it make no sense to leave where I am right now because I have such a bigger impact” in the House.

The 41-year-old House Budget Committee chairman’s decision opens the door for former governor Tommy Thompson to actively campaign for Kohl’s seat.

Thompson, 69, told friends and supporters last week that he would like to run for Kohl’s seat if Ryan decided to remain in the House. Thompson, who served as Wisconsin’s governor from 1987-2001, is likely to face a primary challenge from former congressman Mark W. Neumann and possibly several others.

Progressive Democrats across the country are hoping that former Sen. Russ Feingold, who narrowly lost his seat in the U.S. Senate last November, will run for Kohl’s seat.

Several other Democrats have also expressed an interest in running for the seat, including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind and congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, an openly gay lawmaker whose congressional district includes the city of Madison.