A Democratic congresswoman said Monday she will support the Ohio lawmaker challenging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for the top spot among House Democrats, because he brings a fresh message the party desperately needs.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said Monday on CNN that Rep. Tim Ryan should become the new leader of the House Democrats because it’s time to hold Democratic leadership accountable for the failures of the party. She said the shrinking Democratic presence in the lower chamber demands action.
“We need accountability and there’s no accountability from leadership,” Rice said. “This is not personal against Nancy Pelosi, I like her very much. I think she’s done great things for the Democratic caucus, she was the first woman Speaker of the House. These are great things.”
“But, now in 2016, we need new leadership. We need a new voice and I think Tim represents that voice and he can be a great leader.”
Ryan is considered a long shot in the leadership race against Pelosi, which will be decided this week. Pelosi has been in charge of the Democratic caucus since 2003.
Rice said Pelosi’s leadership has led to the Democratic Party losing the blue-collar workers who were once the core of the party in the middle parts of the country. Ryan is a chance to reverse that trend, she said.
“We need to be talking to people in Ohio and Michigan and Minnesota and Pennsylvania, and all across the country,” she said. “That’s a message we did not have in this election and we need to hear what the voters have said. We cannot do this same thing over and over and over again and expect a different result.”
