“One doesn’t just snap one’s fingers and defeat the Speaker of the House of Representatives in a Congressional election...”
Any member of Congress can be defeated by the right candidate with the right message for the people of that district. As Tim O’Neill often said, “All politics is local”.
Remember in 1994 Tom Foley, who was sitting Speaker of the House and had served his “safe” district for 30 years, was defeated by a Republican challenger.
Other upsets proving determined challengers can defeat an entrenched incumbent:
1) Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter 1980
2) Bill Clinton over George H.W. Bush 1992
3) Republicans take House in 1994
4) Democrats take House in 2006
5) Republicans take House in 2010
6) Republicans take Senate in 2014
7) Trump defeats Hillary 2016
An aggressive candidate with a better message than the incumbent can win. Nehlen the first time out wasn’t that candidate. If he learned, and runs a better campaign, he might beat Ryan.
Well I hope Nehlen—or someone worthy—keeps trying. But it's a formidable task, to be sure.
As has been pointed out, everyone tends to like their own Congressman, while hating all the others, who are characterized as Swamp-dwellers.
Hopefully President Trump will work towards primarying GOPe Swamp-dwellers and replacing them with some real Patriots who will support his agenda, because it's clearly not merely a task of keeping the Democrats out of power.
Collectively, the Congressional GOP is almost as corrupt and feckless as the Democrats. Almost...