WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in an interview Monday with NBC that he decided several weeks ago not to run for president in 2016.
Ryan said he decided before the holiday break that he can be most effective by focusing on his new job as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
"It is amazing the amount of encouragement I have gotten from people -- from friends and supporters - but I feel like I am in a position to make a big difference where I am and I want to do that," he said.
Ryan, who was Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012, is the first of the many potential candidates for the Republican nomination to remove himself from the pool. While no one has formally entered the race, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently took a number of steps like resigning from corporate boards and giving up work as a paid speaker that suggested he is a likely candidate. In recent polls, Bush appears to be the front-runner in a splintered pool.
Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political analyst, moved Bush into the first tier of his Crystal Ball ranking of the 2016 Republican field last week. That tier had previously been empty with Bush in the second tiier with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and two governors, Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Chris Christie of New Jersey.
Romney, who served as governor of Massachusetts, is believed to be considering a third run for president.
"It is no secret that I have always thought Mitt would make a great president," he said. "As for his plans for 2016, I don't know what he is ultimately going to do and the last thing I want to do is get ahead of his own decision making."
Ryan said any endorsement at this point would be "premature."
Romney is in Sabato's fourth tier, "establishment alternatives." with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and governors John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Snyder of Michigan. Ryan does not appear on Sabato's chart.
