Paul Ryan unveils portrait for U.S. Capitol

A longtime member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation now has a permanent place in the State Capitol.
Published: May. 17, 2023 at 8:05 PM CDT
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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A longtime member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation now has a permanent place in the U.S. Capitol.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the curtains to unveil his official portrait Wednesday.

Ryan thanked southern Wisconsin voters for sending him to Congress as a 28-year-old.

He represented the first district for 20 years. Before that, he was a staffer for five years. Ryan says he remembered his first day as an intern as he drove to Wednesday’s ceremony.

“I arrived in Washington, DC, as this wide-eyed kid from Janesville, Wisconsin, with a love of supply-side economics and in reverence for Ronald Reagan, who grew up just an hour down the Rock River, downstream in Illinois,” Ryan said.

He remarked that during his days as a staffer, he had to work a side job as a personal trainer to make ends meet.

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