Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio) voiced his concerns Wednesday on CNN that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) will hurt Democrats in future elections hours after losing his bid to replace her as head of the chamber's Democratic Caucus.
Host Brooke Baldwin asked Ryan what he feared most about Pelosi being the leader of House Democrats going forward.
"My concern is that the unfavorability of our leader is damaging to future candidates and future recruiting," Ryan said. "That concerns me that the perception of her is such that it's going to make it hard to recruit candidates and to kind of connect back to voters."
He is not alone in his worries about Pelosi's leadership, receiving support from about one-third of the House Democratic Caucus during their secret ballot voting earlier in the day.
Ryan's campaign to be House minority leader and his public critique of Pelosi has led to some turmoil within the Democratic Party.
Ryan has been a member of Congress since 2003 and is a relative newcomer compared to Pelosi, who has been in Washington since 1987. He was widely considered the underdog in the race to unseat Pelosi.