Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) announced Thursday that he would challenge Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Democrats, despite Pelosi’s strong support among most of her caucus.
“What we’re doing right now is not working,” Ryan wrote in a letter, obtained by ABC News, announcing his bid to challenge Pelosi as minority leader to his colleagues. “Under our current leadership, Democrats have been reduced to our smallest congressional minority since 1929. This should indicate to all of us that keeping our leadership team completely unchanged will simply lead to more disappointment in future elections.”
Ryan is the first challenger Pelosi has faced for the position since 2010, when Democrats lost their majority in the House.
“Without even asking anybody for a vote, I have over two-thirds of the caucus supporting me,” Pelosi said in response to a question about potential challengers earlier Thursday.