Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) on Thursday officially launched a bid to challenge House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for House Democrats’ top leadership post.
“While having a position in Democratic Leadership has never been my life’s ambition, after this election I believe we all need to re-evaluate our roles within the Caucus, the Democratic Party, and our country,” Ryan wrote in a letter to his fellow House Democrats. “That is why I am announcing my run for Minority Leader of the Democratic Caucus and humbly request your support.”
Ryan had been floating a potential bid as some House Democrats pushed for leadership changes following a rough election for Democrats across the country.
The Ohio congressman told CNN earlier Thursday that it is “the definition of insanity” for Democrats to do “same thing over and over again and keep getting the same results.”
Democrats announced on Tuesday that they would delay leadership elections until after Thanksgiving as Ryan began floating his bid for leader. Some Democrats also reportedly urged Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) to challenge Pelosi for the top spot leading the caucus. Though there have been grumblings in the Democratic caucus about the need for change in leadership, Ryan’s bid against Pelosi is a long shot.
When asked about a potential challenge on Thursday, Pelosi told reporters that two thirds of the House Democratic caucus have backed her re-election.
