Despite not winning Donald Trump’s endorsement, a new Remington Research Group poll finds Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) leads primary challenger Paul Nehlen, 80% to 14%.

“We just came out our convention, and yeah he’s had a pretty strange run since the convention. You would think you oughta be focusing on Hillary Clinton, on all of her deficiencies. She is such a weak candidate that one would think we’d be on offense against Hillary Clinton, and it is distressing that that’s not what we’re talking about these days.

— Speaker Paul Ryan, in an interview with WTAQ.

“Paul Ryan, the reluctant House speaker, eager 2012 vice-presidential nominee and youthful answer to Hillary Clinton, should be sprinting toward the Republican convention, a bright, optimistic star poised to sell his party’s agenda,” the New York Times reports.

“Instead, Mr. Ryan finds himself essentially slouching toward Cleveland, hampered in the House by restive Republicans and emboldened Democrats, and his spotlight taken by a nominee who has yet to fully earn his respect.”

“Mr. Ryan’s fledgling speakership, which he once suggested would be one giant policy discussion, has instead been a series of extraordinary challenges.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan told Politico that he will address the 2016 Republican Convention next week in Cleveland.

“The major speech — which Ryan said he is writing himself — will be 10 minutes long, and will focus on the House Republican agenda and ‘the sharp contrast between Republican ideas and four more years of Obama-like progressive policies; and the need for conservatives to unite around Republican candidates in advance of a critical election.'”

Politico: “It’s significant, because Ryan has emerged as one of the most prolific fundraisers in the Republican Party. Ryan’s political operation — dubbed Team Ryan — raised $17 million in the first quarter of 2016. He has raised more than $30 million for the Republican Party since October, and has transferred more than $21 million to the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle.”

David Wasserman: “At the moment, the likeliest outcome seems like a Democratic gain of five to 20 seats… However, don’t underestimate the effect that Democrats cutting the GOP majority in half might have. It could have big consequences for governing. Back in October, we predicted that Paul Ryan wouldn’t have it any easier than John Boehner did when it comes to fundamental spending and debt votes, thanks to rebellions from the very conservative House Freedom Caucus.”

“If Ryan were to lose half his 30-seat majority, he could be the last backstop against a Democratic White House and Senate. But Ryan would also likely be forced to reach across the aisle for Democratic votes even more often than Boehner did, giving the minority more leverage and possibly branding him as the GOP’s RINO-in-chief for good.”

“For reasons beyond simply the Trump conundrum, the speakership is looking less and less like the job Ryan signed up for eight months ago.”

Huffington Post: “Ryan’s calculation was that it’s better to get behind Trump and try to motivate Republicans to get to the polls than to create a rift, give the reality TV personality an excuse for his loss and simultaneously create a Democratic wave that could hand Clinton the House and Senate. That’s what Ryan is trying to prevent. Better, in his thinking, to half-heartedly support Trump, continue calling him out for the outrageous, offensive, sometimes dangerous things he says, and, after the GOP nominee loses, have the party point to the businessman as the problem, not the establishment Republicans who didn’t get onboard.”

“There’s also perhaps an even more political calculation to that political calculation, though Ryan’s confidants don’t want to talk about it. If Ryan is going to run for president in 2020, he needs those Trump voters — or, at least, he needs to not ostracize them.”