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SALT LAKE CITY — Retiring U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is hosting a breakfast fundraiser Tuesday for Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, his final appearance in the state after arriving late last week.
Love faces a tough challenge from Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, a Democrat, in her bid for a third term representing the 4th Congressional District, which includes portions of Salt Lake and Utah counties.
Ryan said in a statement that Love has "scored real victories for her constituents, whether it's saving them money and growing their paychecks by voting to cut their taxes, or reforming government so Washington works better."
He said Love has been a leader in the House Republican conference and that he is "proud to support her and know that she'll continue to be a champion for her district in Congress."
The congressman, who announced in April he would not seek re-election, has been in Utah since arriving Friday for an appearance at U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney's annual political retreat in Deer Valley.
Ryan was Romney's running mate on the 2012 GOP presidential ticket. Romney, who faces a June 26 Republican primary against state Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, has said the retreat was a break from his Senate campaign.
In addition to speaking at the private retreat, which attracted many big-money donors to Romney's presidential bid, Ryan also delivered the keynote address at a ceremony Saturday honoring retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Hatch, who decided at the beginning of the year he would not seek an eighth term in the Senate, was named the 39th Giant in Our City by the Salt Lake Chamber.
Utah is the fifth state Ryan has visited recently to help House Republicans, who are viewed as in danger of losing control to the Democrats in this year's midterm elections.
The House Speaker's swing through New York, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina was expected to bring in a total of $1.5 million for GOP House members, ABC News reported.
No details were made available about Ryan's fundraiser for Love, who said in a statement she is "honored Speaker Ryan was willing to come to Utah and express his strong support and confidence in my efforts."
A UtahPolicy.com poll released last week found that the race between Love and McAdams may be too close to call. Love held a four points lead, 47 percent to 43 percent, but that falls within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.
Chris Karpowitz, co-director of BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, said Ryan likely won't have the same impact on the race as a lame duck in Congress.
"I don't think it moves the needle in quite the same ways it might have," Karpowitz said. "Nonetheless, I think his name still matters. People in Utah still remember him from Mitt Romney's presidential run as well as his leadership in the U.S. House."
The political science professor said he found it interesting that Ryan was spending so much time in Utah as opposed to being in Washington, D.C., dealing with the deep divisions among House Republicans over President Donald Trump.
"It seems to be a no-win position lately," Karpowitz said of the speakership. "So coming to the mountains and hanging out is not the worst thing he could do. It's beautiful here." >
