Ryan ‘Proud’ of His Campaign With Romney

Defeated Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, who solidified his status as a rising GOP star during the campaign, says he takes pride in the effort he and Mitt Romney undertook.

"I am immensely proud of the campaign we ran, and I remain grateful to Gov. Romney for the honor of being his running mate," the Wisconsin congressman said in a statement.

Ryan was re-elected to his eighth term in the House Tuesday. He says he’s looking forward to returning to Washington as chairman of the House Budget Committee. That chairmanship is what pushed Ryan to public prominence, especially after the House approved the budgets he authored in each of the past two years.

Ryan will soon reach the six-year limit Republicans have set for committee chairmanships. But he is widely expected to ask House Republican leaders for an exception to stay in the position.

There has been speculation that Ryan may seek the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes, healthcare, and entitlements. But Ryan is unlikely to challenge Rep. Dave Camp, R-Michigan, who took over as chairman of Ways and Means in 2011, The Hill reports.

Many political players expect Ryan to run for president in 2016. In any case, his power in Congress has been solidified, colleagues say. “Paul Ryan in the House is stronger than ever,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, told Politico. “He’s got a big megaphone, and we all have the greatest respect for him.”