Ryan Declares Candidacy for U.S. Senate
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Following weeks of speculation, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan minutes ago officially announced that he would seek the U.S. Senate seat now held by the retiring Rob Portman in 2022.
Ryan, D-13 Ohio. made the long-expected announcement in an emailed video also posted on Twitter. He will meet with local reporters in Warren later this morning.
“I am running to fight like hell in the U.S Senate to cut workers in on the deal,” said Ryan. “Ohioans are working harder than ever, they’re doing everything right, and they’re still falling behind. Countries all over the world are investing billions in infrastructure, education, health care, and their workforce to out-compete American businesses and workers. Our workers need a game plan to level the playing field and bring jobs home to Ohio.”
Ryan begins his campaign with a $1 million war chest, according to first-quarter fundraising totals released by his congressional campaign committee.
The video, which opens in Ryan’s kitchen, largely centers on a tour with Ryan and his son, Brady, including visiting locations including where the house where he and his brother grew up and where his grandparents lived.
“The whole neighborhood felt like our family. We looked out for each other,” Ryan tells his son. “That’s the way it should be.”
The video also shows Ryan and his son visiting the field where he played high school football as well as people at work in various settings as Ryan continues his reflections.
“Right now, our workers need a gameplan,” he said. “In my mind, there’s nothing more patriotic than investing in our team, our people, our workers.”
In addition, he called for making investments in infrastructure, as well as into companies.
“It can’t be businesses versus workers. It’s a partnership but that partnership needs to be redefined,” he remarked. “We have to cut workers in on the deal.”
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 while serving his first term in the Ohio Senate, Ryan mounted a short-lived bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, endorsing the eventual nominee, Joe Biden, after he ended his run.
Since his election to Congress, Ryan often has been mentioned as a statewide candidate, including on Democratic gubernatorial tickets and the Senate.
Portman, a Cincinnati Republican who previously served in the House and in the administration of President George W. Bush, announced in January that he would not seek reelection when his term expires next year.
Since then, candidates throwing their names in the ring for the Republican nomination include former state treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party chairwoman Jane Timken and businessmen Bernie Moreno and Mike Gibbons. Other potential GOP candidates include “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-6 Ohio.
Two potential rivals to Ryan recently said they had no interest in seeking the Democratic nomination. Dr. Amy Acton, former Ohio Department of Health director, doused such speculation a few weeks ago, and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley announced a week ago that she would run for Ohio governor.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
