While Tim Ryan was visibly sweating during his interview on CNN today, if what he said is true, Nancy Pelosi may be sweating, too.
Ryan, the Ohio congressman making a run at unseating Pelosi as House Minority Leader, said he is “within striking distance” of upsetting her.
When asked if he has a “shot at beating Pelosi” in Wednesday’s vote, Ryan responded, “We’re within striking distance, I can tell you that for sure. You know, there’s a lot of members still out there who haven’t committed or are being very very quiet and they can break either way coming into the last 24 hours.”
Ryan disputed the notion that Pelosi is a better fundraiser.
Repeatedly wiping sweat from his brow and face during the CNN appearance, Ryan wouldn’t confirm how many Democrats are backing him, only to reiterate that he’s “within striking distance.”
“Part of the game here Wolf is not to give away your numbers,” he said. “We’re keeping our number close. We have a lot of commitments — more than most people think,” Ryan said.
“There’s going to be a lot of surprised faces tomorrow.”
He added the secret ballot helps him “big time,” and went on to imply that Pelosi could punish House members who don’t support her.
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