Paul Ryan pledged that come hell or high water he would vote for the Republican nominee for president. He probably didn’t figure the hell would be so hot or the water quite so high, but Ryan cast his vote for GOP topper Donald Trump anyway. He admitted it on Fox & Friends, where the Speaker of the House said “I already voted here in Janesville for our nominee in early voting.”
Ryan didn’t call that nominee by name, but the whole interview must have deeply gratified Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly said he doesn’t need the Republican establishment to win. That he earned Paul Ryan’s vote despite the clear distaste Ryan has expressed for much of Trump’s conduct is just what Trump predicted. Trump is hoping the Ryan pattern repeats itself nationwide, with voters who hold Trump’s personal foibles in contempt voting for him anyway because they revile the alternative. As Ryan explained, “We need to support our entire GOP ticket.”
