Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said he does not expect Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to punish him for trying to replace her as leader of House Democrats Wednesday.
“It would be very, very difficult for her to try and have any retribution at all,” he said. The 63 of his colleagues who voted for him during secret balloting among House Democrats Wednesday morning would “be very upset” if Pelosi came after him, he said.
The nearly two-week contest between the Californian who has led House Democrats since 2002 and Ryan, who just won an eighth term on Election Day, was respectful, he said.
“I’m really proud of the race we ran,” he said. “I felt it was done with a lot of class,” he said, adding that the contest never turned ugly or got personal.
“I felt it was my responsibility to step up and give voice to those voters who felt disconnected” from national Democrats during the presidential campaign, he said.
“Obviously I’m disappointed,” he said. “I wanted to win.” But he views the 63 votes he garnered (Pelosi received 134) as significant.
The last person to challenge Pelosi, former Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, only won 43 votes during their 2010 race.
“I’m happy I did it,” he said of his decision to take on the formidable Pelosi. “I’m not sure I would do it again. I made a few enemies.”
But Democrats needed to have a “family conversation” about the party’s direction and how it can appeal better to voters like his constituents and others across the Rust Belt who voted for President-elect Trump, he said.
Democrats need to get back to making a strong economic case to voters, he said. Otherwise, “well be an opposition party and a minority party” indefinitely.
