In his push to oust Pelosi, Ryan, along with Rep. Seth Moulton, argued that their caucus needed a new generation of leaders at the head of their party. Both candidates made the same argument in running for president, but it didn't appear to resonate with voters.

Ryan only had a few notable debate moments, including a skirmish with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard over the war in Afghanistan.

In a short video Ryan posted online Thursday, he said he planned to run for reelection for his congressional seat in Ohio's 13th congressional district. Democrats have held control of the seat for decades.

Ryan tried to offer himself as a centrist and alternative to former Vice President Joe Biden. At one point his campaign rolled out endorsements from former Biden supporters in South Carolina. In a twist, though, early in his campaign his communications director, Julia Krieger, departed to serve as communications director for Biden's team in Iowa.

Ryan, like other Democratic candidates from the Midwest running for president, urged Democrats to focus more on winning back voters in that region that President Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. He framed his campaign around the idea that he could rally support in the industrial Midwest and compete aggressively against Trump among the president’s supporters in the region.

"I'm proud of this campaign because I believe we’ve done that. We’ve given voice to the forgotten communities and the forgotten people in the United States," Ryan also said in his statement.

