Ohio’s Ryan considers second run at Pelosi

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, who unsuccessfully challenged House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, is considering going after her again.

Ryan, a Niles Democrat, said Wednesday that he is not writing off the idea of challenging Pelosi after the November elections. He said he’s been approached by “various areas of the caucus” about running against Pelosi.

“I told them I’m not going to shut the door on it, but it’s something I’m not going pursue right now,” he said, saying his current focus is on his race and helping Democrats win seats in November.

Ryan’s willingness to entertain the idea, though, speaks to two things: First, an interest in new leadership among Democrats that has spurred candidates such as Democrat Danny O’Connor, who is running against state Sen. Troy Balderson in Ohio’s 12th congressional district, to say they’ll back someone other than Pelosi if elected.

On Wednesday, Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, a Democrat who is challenging Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, became the latest Democrat to say they would not back Pelosi if elected.

The move also speaks to Ryan’s frequent flirtation with higher office. Ryan is considered a possible Democratic presidential contender and entertained a run for governor last year. But his bid against Pelosi last year was no flirtation, and though he lost decisively (134 to 63), he said afterward that he was happy he’d sent a message that the Democrats needed to shake things up after their losses.

Ryan said he believes that “we need some new leadership, and I’d like to be involved one way or another.”

He said he’d consider supporting the idea of Assistant Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina as a “bridge” candidate while Democrats reassess their future. “The problem is, we have no long-term strategy as to moving people up,” he said, adding, “there’s a lot of conversation and a lot of young, talented people, next-generation people who are talking about it.”

Pelosi, meanwhile, has given no signs of yielding, telling Rolling Stone that Ryan and others calling for new leadership are “inconsequential.”

“I have great support in my caucus. I’m not worried about that. And I’m certainly not worried about them,” the California Democrat said.