Pelosi Faces Little-Known Opponent as Democrats Rue Election
- Tim Ryan of Ohio vies for post of House Democratic leader
- Party’s slim gains Nov. 8 fell short of Democrats’ goals
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds her weekly news conference at the U.S. Captiol June 25, 2015 in Washington, DC.
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Representative Tim Ryan, a little-known Democrat from Ohio, said Thursday he’ll challenge Nancy Pelosi to lead a party that’s reeling from a disappointing Election Day.
Ryan’s announcement that he’ll run against Pelosi pits him against the only woman to ever serve as House Speaker and comes after more than a half-dozen better-known colleagues in recent years shied away from the challenge. He declared his candidacy hours after she told reporters that she’d had support from more than two-thirds of the House’s roughly 200 Democratic members.