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Could Paul Ryan Run for President in 2016?

by Katherine Johnson

According to a new Pew Research Poll, former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is viewed most favorably by Republican voters.

Ryan, who was viewed favorably by 65 percent of the poll's respondents, lead other upcoming G.O.P. candidates, such as Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Chris Christie. All are rumored to be considering possible 2016 runs.

Both Paul and Rubio cleared the 50 percent favorability mark, with Christie coming in at just under at 47 percent. So, does this mean Ryan may try his luck at running for president?

In a poll released from Public Policy Polling last week, Ryan came in second amongst his Republican peers. When asked who they'd most like to see be the G.O.P.'s presidential candidate in 2016, Paul took 16 percent of the vote, compared to Ryan's 13 percent.

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Sixty-seven percent of those polled agreed that the party "needs to address major problems" to do better in presidential elections. Furthermore, 59 percent think positions on some topics should be reconsidered.

But, where should those changes be made? The top three areas the party is divided on are gay marriage, immigration, and abortion. Fifty-four percent think the party needs to be more conservative, and 35 percent believe that they compromised too much with Democrats in Congress.