Democrats, freshly stung by the loss of Jon Ossoff in the Georgia 6th congressional district race Tuesday night, have renewed talk of dropping House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and refocusing their message.
"Our brand is worse than Trump," The New York Times quoted Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio.
Ryan last November tried unsuccessfully to replace Pelosi, whose district includes San Francisco. Pelosi has become a favorite target of Republicans because of her leadership role, which began in 2007 when she was elected the first female House Speaker.
Anti-Ossoff ads featured Pelosi, with some warning voters Ossoff would vote with her on many issues, despite his moderate tone on the campaign trail. Georgia's 6th District has been held by Republicans since Newt Gingrich won it in 1979.
But Ryan said the party's brand also has become "toxic" in many parts of the country because voters view Democrats as "not being able to connect with the issues they care about."
Democrats are calling for better messaging for what they stand for over criticism of President Donald Trump. Democrats and national media tend to think Trump is as unpopular in the heartland as he is among them, but that is not the case, CNN media and political reporter Dylan Byers said on the network following Ossoff's loss.
With many of those voters, it is Pelosi who draws negative reactions.
A Quinnipiac poll in May showed a 50 percent unfavorable view of her, with only 30 percent positive. Even among Democrats she has a 19 percent unfavorable rating.
"I think you'd have to be an idiot to think we could win the House with Pelosi at the top," Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas, who has previously supported Pelosi as leader, told Politico. "Nancy Pelosi is not the only reason that Ossoff lost. But she certainly is one of the reasons."
Twitter had mixed advice for the Democrats:
Still, many Democrats believe whomever might replace Pelosi would end up with the same negative hits from Republicans.
"Republicans blew through millions to keep a ruby red seat, and in their desperate rush to stop the hemorrhaging, they've returned to demonizing the party's strongest fundraiser and consensus builder," Drew Hammill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff told The New York Times. "They don't have Clinton or Obama, so this is what they do."