Paul Nehlen's longshot bid to unseat House Speaker Paul Ryan falls short

Paul Nehlens longshot bid to unseat House Speaker Paul Ryan falls short

JANESVILLE -- Political rookie Paul Nehlen's longshot bid to unseat House Speaker Paul Ryan fell short Tuesday, August 9th.

Ryan beat Nehlen in the partisan primary.

Paul Nehlen

Ryan rarely even has a primary challenger, but Nehlen's unexpected boost from Donald Trump made the race one to watch just in case the unthinkable happened and Ryan on Tuesday became the first House speaker to lose a primary.

Nehlen, from Williams Bay, ran his first campaign and did so against the highest-ranking Republican in the country. Ryan outraised him 17-1 and was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Wisconsin Right to Life and all 16 GOP legislators in the district.

Paul Nehlen

But Nehlen, the senior vice president of water filtration company Neptune Benson, got plenty of national attention last week when Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump praised him and said he wasn't ready to endorse Ryan. Trump relented a few days later -- but Nehlen said he believes Trump's early refusal sent a clear signal that Ryan is not his preferred candidate.

Nehlen said Tuesday he was feeling confident about the race, but at the same time, he said he understood no one really expected him to win.

Nehlen said a victory would have sent a strong message to the Republican Party establishment, which he said has been against him this entire race.

Paul Nehlen

Nehlen was asked Tuesday whether he would endorse Ryan.

"We won`t have a choice. I`m not gonna roll over to the Democrats' side, but I will tell you this, I fully suspect when I win, Paul Ryan`s machine will try to get the Democratic (presidential candidate) elected. I fully believe that," Nehlen said.

Paul Nehlen

On the issues, Nehlen embraced some of Donald Trump's signature ideas, like the importance of securing the border and ending wasteful spending.

Nehlen and supporters watched the results come in Tuesday night at the Holiday Inn Express in Janesville.

Nehlen said despite the loss, he won't stop fighting for job security, border security and better trade deals.

RAW VIDEO: Paul Nehlen speaks after primary loss to Paul Ryan

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.