Rep. Tim Ryan blames Pelosi for recent Democratic losses
WASHINGTON – Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has hindered the ability of Democratic congressional candidates to win office in many parts of the country.
“The honest answer is: in some areas of the country, yes she is,” Ryan told CNN’s Don Lemon Wednesday evening in response to a question as to whether the congressman believed Pelosi is “more toxic” than President Donald Trump.
Ryan told MSNBC’s Hardball Wednesday morning following millennial Democrat Jon Ossoff’s defeat to Republican Karen Handel in the Georgia special congressional election to occupy the seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price that that loss as well as others is indicative of the Democratic Party’s perception among some as a “toxic national brand.”
Ossoff’s defeat marked the Democrats’ fourth failed attempt to pick up a congressional seat vacated by Trump cabinet/cabinet level appointees.
Ryan told CNN that his constituents are more concerned about economic issues than congressional investigations into allegations of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
“People in Ohio aren’t really talking about Russia or Michael Flynn or Putin or anything else,” he explained. “They’re worried about paying the bills, what’s happening with our pension, how much does it cost to send a kid to school, what’s our energy bill like. Real bread-and-butter stuff.”
Ryan last November challenged Pelosi for her leadership position and despite being handily defeated is still considered a rising star in the Democratic Party.
Ryan represents manufacturing-heavy areas in Ohio such as Akron and Youngstown, where many white-working class voters cast their ballots for Trump. He has argued that Democrats should avoid engaging in identity politics and instead focus on issues affecting the middle class.
Many political pundits have suggested that the widely held perception of Pelosi as a Washington insider and a San Francisco liberal might not be beneficial to Democrats seeking office in blue-collar and/or Republican-leaning congressional districts.
Ryan told TMN following his defeat to Pelosi that he believes rising stars in the Democratic Party may benefit from his decision to have challenged the minority leader.
“They have a much bigger voice now,” Ryan said. “Now they really do. I think we knocked down some barriers for them to come up and speak their piece and not be afraid to challenge leadership.”
This story is republished with permission from Talk Media News
Bryan is an award-winning political journalist who has extensive experience covering Congress and Maryland state government.
His work includes coverage of the election of Donald Trump, the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions-as well as that of the Maryland General Assembly, Gov. Larry Hogan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryan has broken stories involving athletic and sexual assault scandals with the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
His original UMBC investigation gained international attention, was featured in People Magazine and he was interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” and local radio stations. Bryan broke subsequent stories documenting UMBC’s omission of a sexual assault on their daily crime log and a federal investigation related to the university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault.