Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) on Wednesday went after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democratic Party’s brand.
He said during an interview on CNN that the Democrats need to get their act together.
“The brand is just bad,” Ryan said during an interview on CNN.
“I don’t think people in the Beltway are realizing just how toxic the Democratic Party brand is in so many parts of the country.”
{mosads}He noted that Pelosi has been “getting pounded now for 10 years with negative ads from the Republicans.”
“I don’t think it’s fair,” he said. “But, clearly, these ads using her, linking her to our candidates is still working.”
Ryan was then questioned about whether he thinks Pelosi is more toxic than President Trump.
“The honest answer is in some areas of the country — yes, she is,” Ryan said.
“I think that in certain areas, like in some of these special election districts, it doesn’t benefit our candidates to be tied to her. “
His comments come after Republican Karen Handel won Georgia’s special House election runoff Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Democrats who were hoping to score an early win against President Trump ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Ryan challenged Pelosi for House minority leader in November, a challenge Pelosi defeated after agreeing to provide more leadership opportunities for junior members.