<p>When Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan stepped up to challenge Nancy Pelosi as the leader of House Democrats, we honestly believed the Dems would seize the opportunity to turn a new leaf. ;</p>
<p>Ryan, a 43-year-old from Ohio, spoke of reconnecting with Middle America and blamed &ldquo;our current leadership&rdquo; for the party&rsquo;s electoral losses over the past six years. ;</p>
<p>Pelosi&rsquo;s supporters agreed that they must make an effort to reconnect with &ldquo;flyover&rdquo; states, but blamed the party&rsquo;s current problems on WikiLeaks, Hillary&rsquo;s failures, and the gerrymandering of congressional districts.  ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;When Hillary Clinton came to my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and stood at the busiest Amtrak terminal in Ohio, she did not speak about her infrastructure bill,&rdquo; laments Rep Marcy Kaptur (D-OH). &ldquo;She talked about Warren Buffet&hellip;Most people in my district don&rsquo;t even know who he is.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The final vote was Pelosi 134 &ndash; Ryan 63, the closest anyone has come to beating Pelosi since she took the throne in 2003. ;</p>
<p>Ryan didn&rsquo;t seem overly upset about the loss, but suggested that he would rather pursue the position of Ohio Governor than continue on in Congress. &ldquo;You know, we made a few enemies, we cracked a few eggs along the way, but you know, [you] can&rsquo;t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs,&rdquo; he said.  ;</p>
<p>Ryan&rsquo;s campaign did manage to force some changes, however, and Pelosi has promised to give younger members a bigger say in the decision making process. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;This is a time, I think, that we need someone who is battle-tested. And there is no stronger battle-tested person than Nancy Pelosi,&rdquo; said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD). ;</p>
<p>The Dems also voted to keep Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) as minority whip and Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC) as assistant leader &ndash; a lineup that hasn&rsquo;t changed in ten years.  ;</p>
<p>Pelosi told the press that she had a &ldquo;special spring&rdquo; in her step after Wednesday&rsquo;s vote, and told her colleagues that she is confident in her party&rsquo;s future. &ldquo;We know how to win elections,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done it in the past. We will do it again.&rdquo;  ;</p>
<p>The RNC is more than disappointed with Wednesday&rsquo;s vote. &ldquo;This year, voters went to the polls and made a bold statement for change in Washington, but House Democrats just doubled down on the status quo,&rdquo; said the committee.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The American people have been trying to send the Democrat Party a message by selecting historic numbers of Republicans for office at nearly every level of government, but Nancy Pelosi&rsquo;s re-election shows Democrats aren&rsquo;t listening.&rdquo; ;</p>