Discouraged Dems Tout Ryan for House Minority Leader
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio, is being mentioned as a candidate for House minority leader, potentially pitting him against his mentor, Nancy Pelosi.
The Business Journal emailed Ryan’s spokesman Friday asking for comment. As of this posting, no response has been received.
The Washington Post reported late Sunday that “a small group” of House Democrats signed a letter over the weekend that requested Pelosi to delay leadership elections so members have time to review what led the party “to significantly underperform in last week’s election.”
Pelosi has scheduled leadership elections for Thursday.
Ryan reportedly “had signed on to the letter but then dropped off,” according to a story Sunday in Politico, which would appear to signal his reluctance to go against Pelosi.
States the letter, as quoted by The Post, “Only by taking the time to find the hard truths can we formulate a comprehensive path forward, which could include the composition of our caucus leadership and the roles and responsibilities of each leadership position. This type of family conversation will take time, but it is absolutely necessary to put us in the best position to take back control of the House.”
An opinion piece posted Sunday at Huffington Post touts Ryan as the congressman who “should challenge Nancy Pelosi for leadership of the Democratic Party.”
The commentary, written by Democratic analyst Krystal Ball, describes Ryan as someone who “speaks the language of disaffected blue collar voters and is also the kind of young scrappy fighter” needed to challenge President-elect Trump.
“Will he run [for minority leader]? It’s hard to say,” Ball writes. “I’m told Ryan just may be frustrated enough at the lack of an economic message to take on the challenge but it certainly won’t be any easy one. Any attempt to move against leadership takes a whole lot of friends and a whole lot of courage.”
Before returning to Washington today, Ryan is scheduled to attend a press event with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown at Kent State University’s Trumbull Campus where they will help launch a mentoring program for high school students.
Pictured: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan speaks at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
