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Rep. Paul Ryan is officially stuck in the House of Representatives. 

Ryan couldn’t really lose Tuesday — he was either going to be the nation’s vice president or . He won the latter, although he likely preferred the former. 

Ryan won re-election in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, becoming the projected winner with nearly 58 percent of the vote & 64 percent of precincts reporting as of 12:30 a.m. ET.

, sent out a statement expressing disappointment yet thanking his supporters.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t prevail tonight in this individual election against Paul Ryan. But I am so proud of the race we ran & all that we’ve accomplished,” Zerban said in the statement. “When we first started this campaign, no one thought this district could be a real battleground. That we could force Ryan to dip in deep into his warchest of special interest money.”

That means Ryan will re-enter the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as a familiar opponent for President Barack Obama — yet with an even higher profile. He will likely be an even more visible face in the main legislative body that will oppose Obama in a second term.