Ryan Wins Round One; Leadership Elections Delayed
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio, has won a victory of sorts now that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has agreed to delay leadership elections until Nov. 30.
Pelosi announced her decision at this morning’s meeting of the Democratic caucus, according to national news reports.
Ryan and at least 20 other Democratic members of Congress were pushing Pelosi to delay the elections until there could be extensive discussions about why the party failed to win the presidency and more seats in Congress. The leadership positions were expected to be determined during a vote Thursday.
The extra time will give Ryan more time to secure support should he decide to run for minority leader, which he confirmed Monday he is considering.
In an interview Monday with The Business Journal, Ryan said, “I’ve been getting a lot of calls. There are a lot of people in the House Democratic Caucus that think we’ve got to figure out how to change things and they’ve asked me to step up.”
Ryan said Monday that he has not made up his mind whether to seek a leadership position.
The congressman’s communications director, Michael Zetts, said shortly after noon today that Ryan “is continuing to talk to his colleagues.”
Zetts noted that Ryan “is happy about the outcome of today’s vote. This was his goal from the beginning, and he’s happy that the Democratic caucus is going to have a longer discussion to see who’s best to lead the party back to a majority.”
Should Ryan decide to challenge Pelosi, he would face a steep climb. She represents the San Francisco area and the California delegation is the largest in the Democratic House Caucus.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was asked on MSNBC Tuesday afternoon if the delay in leadership elections portends trouble for Pelosi.
“I don’t think it means any dramatic change in terms of leadership,” Schiff said.
“I wouldn’t want to see a change from the most effective leader we’ve had in decades.”
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