Nancy Pelosi Chosen as House Democratic Leader for 8th Term Despite Challenge From Tim Ryan

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California won the race on Wednesday to lead the Democratic caucus for an eighth term, sweeping away a challenge from Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan who sought a leadership change after a less than stellar performance by the party on Election Day.

Pelosi easily beat Ryan in a 134-63 vote, securing her guardianship and direction of the Democratic Party in the House.

Pelosi posted on Twitter that she was "honored" to get elected, adding "let's get to work."

Pelosi had faced growing criticism from multiple directions leading up to the election as it became increasingly clear Democrats would not gain the number of seats they had projected earlier in the year. Critical voices only grew in the aftermath of Election Day as a reaction to Hillary Clinton's loss at the top of the ticket.

While supporters insisted that her long-time tenure would be an asset in the face of an unprecedented moment in Washington as Donald Trump took the White House, Ryan convinced dozens of members that a change was necessary for the good of the party.

On Tuesday night, Ryan made his final case for a change in leadership, predicting that without a shuffle Democrats might struggle indefinitely at the polls.

"If we don't wake up and smell the coffee, we're going to be the minority party, the opposition party, for a long time to come," he said during a media briefing. "That's just the reality."

However, before Wednesday's vote, California Rep. Adam Schiff said in his nominating speech for Pelosi that, “Everything we care about [is] at risk,” adding, “We need the very best to lead us…No one is a better tactician than Nancy Pelosi.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Photo credit: House photo archives via Wikimedia Commons