COLUMBUS — Congressman Tim Ryan says he’s running for president.
The 45-year-old announced his 2020 Democratic primary bid Thursday on ABC’s “The View.” He plans an official kickoff rally in downtown Youngstown Saturday, where a big turnout by organized labor is expected.
Rep. @TimRyan, who announced this morning on @TheView his run for president, says he “can not only advance a progressive agenda but also win”: “That means Donald Trump is going back to Mar-a-lago full time.” pic.twitter.com/CBl7j6BTcS
— The View (@TheView) April 5, 2019
Ryan, a political moderate from Niles, made an unsuccessful bid to replace Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader in 2016.
Evan Machan, communications director for the Ohio Republican Party, said Ryan is “a weak congressman and will be an even weaker candidate for President” in a written statement.
“Tim Ryan has lost to Nancy Pelosi, one of the least popular politicians of our generation, not once but twice,” Machan said.
Ryan represents the district formerly held by the late Democratic Rep. Jim Traficant, for whom he worked. The blue-collar area swung strongly for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016 but is also home to the giant General Motors Lordstown assembly plant which was shut down, idling over a thousand workers.
He’s served in Congress since 2003 and, before that, spent two years in the Ohio Senate. He joins an already crowded field of Democratic White House candidates.