During a discussion of her public image, Pelosi argued that prior to his elevation as speaker, Paul Ryan had the benefit of the presidential campaign-level ad spending in his favor because he ran as the vice presidential pick for Mitt Romney.

The California Democrat joked about it during a Q & A session Wednesday as part of a Los Angeles Times event.

Does House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi really wish Mitt Romney were president?

Pelosi paused.

“Wouldn’t be nice if he were president of the United States?” she asked with a laugh, referring to Romney.

Ironically, it’s not the first time Pelosi has expressed hope that Romney would see electoral success.


In early 2015, she told the Hill that she wished the former Massachusetts governor would run again for president because she was so sure of Hillary Clinton’s victory.

“Let me put it this way — I hope he’s their nominee,” she said.

Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.