Tim Ryan (Ohio politician)

Tim Ryan
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2003
Preceded by	James Traficant
Constituency	17th district (2003–2013) 13th district (2013–present)
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 32nd district
In office January 3, 2001 – December 19, 2002
Preceded by	Anthony Latell
Succeeded by	Marc Dann
Personal details
Born	Timothy John Ryan (1973-07-16) July 16, 1973 Niles, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Andrea Zetts (m. 2013)
Children	1, and 2 stepchildren
Education	Bowling Green State University (BA) University of New Hampshire (JD)
Website	Campaign website House website

Timothy John Ryan (born July 16, 1973) is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative for Ohio since 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented Ohio's 13th congressional district since 2013 and previously represented Ohio's 17th congressional district until redistricting. Ryan's district now includes a large swath of northeastern Ohio, from Youngstown to Akron. He is the Democratic nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio.

Born in Niles, Ohio, Ryan worked as an aide to U.S. Representative Jim Traficant after studying political science at Bowling Green State University, and earned a J.D. degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. He served in the Ohio Senate from 2001 to 2002 before winning the election to succeed Traficant. In November 2016, Ryan launched an unsuccessful challenge to unseat Nancy Pelosi as party leader of the House Democrats. He was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before ending his campaign in 2019 to run for reelection. Ryan was reelected to his tenth term in 2020. In 2021, Ryan announced his candidacy for Ohio's Senate seat and won the Democratic nomination with 70% of the vote. He faces Republican nominee J. D. Vance in the general election.

Known for his economically populist politics, Ryan is an advocate of economic protectionism, unionization, and steps to reduce income inequality. A critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and globalization, he has criticized George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's trade policies while supporting many of the tariffs passed during the Trump administration. Ryan supports tougher measures against China and its ruling party, accusing the nation of currency manipulation and outsourcing American manufacturing jobs.

Early life and career

Ryan was born in Niles, Ohio, the son of Rochelle Maria (Rizzi) and Allen Leroy Ryan; he is of Irish and Italian ancestry. Ryan's parents divorced when he was seven years old, and Ryan was raised by his mother. Ryan graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Warren, where he played football as a quarterback and coached junior high basketball. He was recruited to play football at Youngstown State University, but a knee injury ended his playing career and he transferred to Bowling Green State University.

Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Bowling Green in 1995 and was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After college, he joined the staff of Ohio Congressman Jim Traficant. In 2000, Ryan earned a Juris Doctor degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. From 2000 to 2002 he served half a term in the Ohio State Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 13

After Jim Traficant was convicted on criminal charges in 2002, Ryan declared his candidacy for the 17th district. As the result of redistricting following the 2000 census, the 17th, which had long been based in Youngstown, had been pushed west and included much of Portage County and part of Akron. Before the redistricting, all of Akron had been part of the 14th district, represented by eight-term Democrat Tom Sawyer. The 14th had been eliminated in 2000; most of it was drawn into the 13th district of fellow Democrat Sherrod Brown, but Sawyer's home was drawn into the 17th. Ryan was initially seen as an underdog in a six-way Democratic primary that included Sawyer.

In the 2002 Democratic primary, Ryan defeated Sawyer, who was seen as insufficiently labor-friendly in the newly drawn district. In the November 2002 general election, he faced Republican Insurance Commissioner Ann Womer Benjamin as well as Traficant, who ran as an independent from his prison cell. Ryan won with 51% of the vote to Benjamin's 37%. When he took office in January 2003, he was the youngest Democrat in the House, at 29 years of age. He was reelected to represent the 17th district five times, only once facing a contest nearly as close as his first. In 2010, he was held to 53% of the vote; Traficant, running as an independent, took 16%.

Since redistricting in 2012, he has served five terms as the U.S. representative for the 13th district.

Tenure

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Ryan speaking at a rally for Hillary Clinton, October 2016

In his first year in office in 2003, Ryan was one of seven members of Congress to vote against the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act, and one of eight to oppose ratification of the FTC's establishment of a National Do Not Call Registry.

In 2010, Ryan voted for the Stupak Amendment restricting federal funding for abortions, but in January 2015, he announced that having "gained a deeper understanding of the complexities and emotions that accompany the difficult decisions [about whether to end a pregnancy]" over his time in public office, he had reversed his position on abortion and now identified as pro-choice.

In 2010, Ryan introduced the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, which sought punitive trade tariffs on countries, notably China, that were engaging in currency manipulation. It passed the House overwhelmingly but never made it to the floor in the Senate. In an October 2010 interview with conservative magazine Human Events, Ryan said tax increases on small businesses were necessary "because we have huge deficits. We gotta shore up Social Security. We gotta shrink our deficits".

Ryan initiated a bid to replace Pelosi as House Minority Leader on November 17, 2016, prompted by colleagues after the 2016 presidential election. After Pelosi agreed to give more leadership opportunities to junior members, she defeated Ryan by a vote of 134–63 on November 30.

Ryan supported the Iran nuclear deal to prevent Iran from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. In April 2016, he tweeted, "I was in Jerusalem a few weeks ago & saw firsthand the dangerous threat Israelis face. Israel has the right to defend itself from terror."

Around 2018, Ryan helped Adi Othman, an undocumented immigrant in Youngstown, Ohio, remain in the United States. Othman had lived in the United States for nearly 40 years, ran several businesses in Youngstown, was married to a US citizen and had four US-born children. Ryan repeatedly presented a bill to Congress whereby Othman would be granted a more thorough review of his case to stay in the United States (Othman disputed a verdict by immigration officials on a matter that affected his legal status); the fact that the bill was in motion meant that Othman could temporarily stay. Othman was deported from the United States in February 2018 after President Donald Trump directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase the number of arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants. Ryan condemned the deportation, saying, "To watch these families get ripped apart is the most heart-breaking thing any American citizen could ever see ... Because you are for these families, it doesn't mean you are not for a secure border."

Ryan chairs the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, which is investigating the 2021 storming of the US Capitol. In May 2021, Ryan angrily chastised Senate Republicans for blocking a January 6 commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

As of September 2022, Ryan had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch (chair)
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

Caucus memberships

• Co-chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus
• Co-chair of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus
• Afterschool Caucuses
• Medicare for All Caucus
• Blue Collar Caucus

2020 presidential campaign

Tim Ryan for America
File:Timryan2020.png
Campaign	2020 United States presidential election (Democratic primaries)
Candidate	Tim Ryan Representative from Ohio's 17th congressional district (2002-2013) and Ohio's 13th congressional district (2013-present)
Affiliation	Democratic Party
Headquarters	Gaithersburg, Maryland
Receipts	US$1,341,246.39 (12/31/2019)
Slogan	Our Future Is Now
Website
Campaign website

See also: Endorsements in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries § Tim Ryan

File:Tim Ryan (48507999271) (cropped).jpg

Ryan campaigning at the 2019 Iowa State Fair

After the 2018 midterms, Ryan was seen as a possible candidate for the 2020 presidential election. In February and March 2019, he traveled to early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. Ryan's 2020 presidential campaign officially began on April 4, 2019, when he announced his candidacy in the Democratic primaries. He also announced that he would seek the nomination on The View. After qualifying for only two debates and continuously polling below 1% nationwide, Ryan formally withdrew from the race on October 24, 2019. He was reelected to the House of Representatives in 2020.

2022 U.S. Senate election

Main article: 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio

On January 25, 2021, Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio Rob Portman announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022. Ryan filed paperwork to run to replace him. On April 26, 2021, Ryan announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in a video posted via Twitter.

Ryan defeated Morgan Harper and Traci Johnson in the Democratic primary and faces Republican nominee J. D. Vance in the general election. His campaign has sought to portray Ryan as a moderate or "independent" as he has described himself; highlighting how he voted for some of former Republican President Donald Trump's policies. Ryan has sought to earn the support of center-right voters, and has criticized and distanced himself from fellow Democrats, including President Joe Biden, suggesting that the president should not seek a second term in 2024.

A Ryan campaign ad, repeatedly blaming China for the loss of American jobs, attracted criticism from politicians and Asian American groups, who said it encouraged Sinophobia and anti-Asian hate. Representative Grace Meng called on Ryan to stop airing it.

Political views

Known for his economically populist politics, Ryan is an advocate of economic protectionism, unionization, and steps to reduce income inequality. A critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and economic globalization, his tenure has been marked by criticism of George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's trade policies; he supported many of the tariffs passed during the Trump administration.

Ryan has supported tougher measures against China and its ruling party. He has accused the nation of currency manipulation and outsourcing American manufacturing jobs.

Publications

In March 2012, Hay House published Ryan's A Mindful Nation, a book about the practice of mindfulness in both private and public life. He writes in his introduction:

If more citizens can reduce stress and increase performance—even if only by a little—they will be healthier and more resilient. They will be better equipped to face the challenges of daily life, and to arrive at creative solutions to the challenges facing our nation.

In October 2014, the same publisher published Ryan's The Real Food Revolution.

Personal life

In 2013, Ryan married Andrea Zetts, his second wife; they have lived in Howland Township near Warren, Ohio, since that year. In 2014, they had a son, Brady. Ryan also lives with Zetts's two children from a previous relationship.

Electoral history

File:2020 Election in Ohio's 13th Congressional District.svg

2020
Ryan:      45–50%      55–60%
Hagan:      45–50%      55–60%

Ohio's 17th congressional district: Results 2002–2010

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		Other	Party	Votes	Pct
2002		Timothy J. Ryan	94,441	51%		Ann Womer Benjamin	62,188	34%		James A. Traficant, Jr.	Independent	28,045	15%
2004		Timothy J. Ryan	212,800	77%		Frank V. Cusimano	62,871	23%
2006		Timothy J. Ryan	170,369	80%		Don Manning II	41,925	20%
2008		Timothy J. Ryan	204,028	78%		Duane Grassell	56,003	22%
2010		Timothy J. Ryan	102,758	54%		Jim Graham	57,352	30%		James A. Traficant, Jr.	Independent	30,556	16%

Ohio's 13th congressional district: Results 2012–2020

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
2012		Timothy J. Ryan	227,076	72%		Marisha Agana	86,269	28%
2014		Timothy J. Ryan	120,230	69%		Thomas Pekarek	55,233	31%
2016		Timothy J. Ryan	208,610	68%		Richard Morckel	99,377	32%
2018		Timothy J. Ryan	149,271	61%		Chris DePizzo	96,225	39%
2020		Timothy J. Ryan	173,631	53%		Christina Hagan	148,648	45%

See also

• List of United States representatives from Ohio
• 30 Something Working Group

External links

• Congressman Tim Ryan official U.S. House website
• Tim Ryan for Ohio campaign website
• Tim Ryan at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Jim Traficant	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 17th congressional district 2003–2013	Constituency abolished
Preceded by Betty Sutton	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 13th congressional district 2013–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Ted Strickland	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Ohio (Class 3) 2022	Most recent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Dutch Ruppersberger	United States representatives by seniority 65th	Succeeded by Linda Sánchez

108th	Senate: ▌M. DeWine (R) · ▌G. Voinovich (R)	House: ▌R. Regula (R) ▌M. Oxley (R) ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌P. Gillmor (R) ▌J. Boehner (R) ▌D. Hobson (R) ▌S. Brown (D) ▌D. Pryce (R) ▌R. Portman (R) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌S. LaTourette (R) ▌B. Ney (R) ▌T. Strickland (D) ▌D. Kucinich (D) ▌S. Tubbs Jones (D) ▌P. Tiberi (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R)
109th	Senate: ▌M. DeWine (R) · ▌G. Voinovich (R)	House: ▌R. Regula (R) ▌M. Oxley (R) ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌P. Gillmor (R) ▌J. Boehner (R) ▌D. Hobson (R) ▌S. Brown (D) ▌D. Pryce (R) ▌R. Portman (R) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌S. LaTourette (R) ▌B. Ney (R) ▌T. Strickland (D) ▌D. Kucinich (D) ▌S. Tubbs Jones (D) ▌P. Tiberi (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R) ▌J. Schmit (R)
110th	Senate: G. Voinovich • S. Brown	House: R. Regula • M. Kaptur • P. Gillmor (until Sep. 2007) • J. Boehner • D. Hobson • D. Pryce • S. Chabot • S. LaTourette • D. Kucinich • S. T. Jones (until Aug. 2008) • P. Tiberi • T. Ryan • M. Turner • J. Schmit • J. Jordan • Z. Space • B. Sutton • C. Wilson • B. Latta (from Dec. 2007) • M. Fudge (from Nov. 2008)
111th	Senate: G. Voinovich • S. Brown	House: M. Kaptur • J. Boehner • S. LaTourette • D. Kucinich • P. Tiberi • T. Ryan • M. Turner • J. Schmit • J. Jordan • Z. Space • B. Sutton • C. Wilson • B. Latta • M. Fudge • S. Austria • J. Boccieri • S. Driehaus • M. Kilroy
112th	Senate: ▌S. Brown (D) · ▌R. Portman (R)	House: ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌J. Boehner (R) ▌S. LaTourette (R) ▌D. Kucinich (D) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌P. Tiberi (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R) ▌J. Schmit (R) ▌J. Jordan (R) ▌B. Sutton (D) ▌B. Latta (R) ▌M. Fudge (D) ▌S. Austria (R) ▌B. Gibbs (R) ▌B. Johnson (R) ▌J. Renacci (R) ▌S. Stivers (R)
113th	Senate: S. Brown • R. Portman	House: M. Kaptur • J. Boehner • S. Chabot • P. Tiberi • T. Ryan • M. Turner • J. Jordan • B. Latta • M. Fudge • B. Gibbs • B. Johnson • J. Renacci • S. Stivers • J. Beatty • D. Joyce • B. Wenstrup
114th	Senate: ▌S. Brown (D) · ▌R. Portman (R)	House: ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌J. Boehner (R) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌P. Tiberi (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R) ▌J. Jordan (R) ▌B. Latta (R) ▌M. Fudge (D) ▌B. Gibbs (R) ▌B. Johnson (R) ▌J. Renacci (R) ▌S. Stivers (R) ▌J. Beatty (R) ▌D. Joyce (R) ▌B. Wenstrup (R) ▌W. Davidson (R)
115th	Senate: ▌S. Brown (D) · ▌R. Portman (R)	House: ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌P. Tiberi (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R) ▌J. Jordan (R) ▌B. Latta (R) ▌M. Fudge (D) ▌B. Gibbs (R) ▌B. Johnson (R) ▌J. Renacci (R) ▌S. Stivers (R) ▌J. Beatty (D) ▌D. Joyce (R) ▌B. Wenstrup (R) ▌W. Davidson (R) ▌T. Balderson (R)
116th	Senate: ▌S. Brown (D) · ▌R. Portman (R)	House: ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R) ▌J. Jordan (R) ▌B. Latta (R) ▌M. Fudge (D) ▌B. Gibbs (R) ▌B. Johnson (R) ▌S. Stivers (R) ▌J. Beatty (D) ▌D. Joyce (R) ▌B. Wenstrup (R) ▌W. Davidson (R) ▌T. Balderson (R) ▌A. Gonzalez (R)
117th	Senate: ▌She. Brown (D) · ▌R. Portman (R)	House: ▌M. Kaptur (D) ▌S. Chabot (R) ▌T. Ryan (D) ▌M. Turner (R) ▌J. Jordan (R) ▌B. Latta (R) ▌M. Fudge (D) ▌B. Gibbs (R) ▌B. Johnson (R) ▌S. Stivers (R) ▌J. Beatty (D) ▌D. Joyce (R) ▌B. Wenstrup (R) ▌W. Davidson (R) ▌T. Balderson (R) ▌A. Gonzalez (R) ▌Sho. Brown (D) ▌M. Carey (R)