Mahoning, Summit, Portage Support Delivers for Ryan

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan rode support in Mahoning, Summit and Portage counties to a 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The vote in those three counties allowed Ryan to overcome the loss of his home county, Trumbull County, and to a lesser extent, Stark County.

This will be Ryan’s fifth term representing Ohio’s 13th district, a seat he’s held since 2013. He was first elected in 2003 to serve the state’s 17th district, which was redrawn and renumbered in 2012.

This year he was challenged by former state Rep. Christina Hagan, a Republican from Marlboro Township in Stark County, and Michael Fricke, a Libertarian.

“The race for us was very much local, about delivering for each county we represent,” Ryan said on a Zoom call with reporters after the Associated Press called the race.

Ryan praised his campaign team, which was headed by campaign manager Michael Morley, former chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic party. He said he missed being able to campaign at festivals and football games, which meant he had to raise more money to get his message out in television, radio and digital.

“It was a tough race. It took a lot of time, it took a lot of effort. We had to put a big team together but it paid off in the end,” Ryan said. “Christina is to be commended for running a really tough race,” he said.

In a statement released around 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, Hagan congratulated Ryan for a “hard-fought campaign” and on his win, and thanked the people who worked for her campaign.

“It has been the highest honor to campaign throughout the 13th District over the past year discussing with people of all walks of life the issues most important to them and their families,” she said. “While our effort fell short, I believe this campaign was successful in giving voters a true alternative voice and principled vision for this district.”

With 100% of the counties reporting, Ryan received 52.5% of the vote, compared to Hagan’s 45% and Fricke’s 2.5%.

According to final unofficial results, Ryan accrued 47,525 votes in Mahoning County, or 55.8% of the county’s vote, to 35,680 votes for Hagan and 1,959 for Fricke. In Summit County, Ryan got 54,917 votes, 55.7% of the vote, to 40,893 votes for Hagan and 2,756 for Fricke.

A report posted around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, with 111 of 129 precincts in Portage County reporting, showed Ryan was winning more narrowly with 17,873 votes to Hagan’s 15,854, and with Fricke garnering 974 votes.

Hagan claimed a narrow win in Trumbull County over Ryan, who grew up in Niles and lives in Howland. Hagan received 43,623 votes, or 49.5% of the vote compared to 42,548 for Ryan, or 48.2% of the vote. Fricke received 2,052 votes in the county.

In the portion of Stark County that is included in the district, Hagan received 3,003 votes, or 62% of the vote, compared to 1,695 for Ryan and 142 for Fricke.

While Ryan was victorious, his margin of victory shows considerable erosion from 2016, the last presidential election. That year, Ryan received 62,011 votes in Mahoning County and 57,844 votes in Trumbull County, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.

In his last re-election bid in 2018, he received 43,095 votes in Mahoning County and 39,398 votes in Trumbull County.

In 2018, Ryan’s opponent, Christopher DePizzo, received 24,896 votes in Mahoning County and 28,814 in Trumbull County. His 2016 opponent, Richard Morckel, received 22,244 votes in Mahoning County and 32,207 votes in Trumbull County.

Throughout the 2020 campaign, Ryan called attention to the fact that Hagan did not live within the district, an issue that “killed her,” he acknowledged.

“It wasn’t just that she didn’t live in the district, but she didn’t live in the last district she ran for two years ago and now she’s running in another district that she doesn’t live in,” he continued. “So she really was kind of job shopping.”

He also said that Hagan was not a “moderate Republican” who held “pretty extreme” positions.

Ryan said his priority for his next term would be to further execute the plan he has worked on for the past 18 years for the district.

“It’s how many jobs can we get for Lordstown Motors, how do we grow smaller energy companies into bigger ones,” he said.

“General Motors is already talking about phase two to the battery plant. We just want to keep building on that,” he added.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.