Who is Tim Ryan? What to know about the congressman running for senate in Ohio – USA TODAY

In the crowded Ohio senate race, House member Tim Ryan is the frontrunner on the Democratic side of the ticket. Ryan launched his campaign to replace retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman in April of last year. He will face off against progressive candidate and attorney Morgan Harper and tech executive Traci Johnson in the Democratic primary on May 3.

The Ohio Democratic party endorsed Ryan in February, as did Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Ryans campaign focuses on Ohioan workers, promising to revitalize the states once thriving manufacturing sector and to push for higher wages.

Here is what to know about Ohio senate candidate Ryan.

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Ryan is a Democrat who represents Ohios 13th district in the House of Representatives. He has represented Ohio in the Congress since 2003. He is also a former Democratic presidential candidate. Before Ryan was elected to Congress, he served as an Ohio state senator. Ryans career in politics began in 1994 when he worked as an intern for Democratic Ohio congressman James Traficant.

Ryan was born on July 16, 1973. He is 48 years old.

Ryan was born and grew up in Niles, a northeastern Ohio town near Cleveland and Youngstown.

Ryan is basing his campaign on 14 key issues, but the thrust of his pitch centers Ohios working class.

Ryan voted to pass the PRO Act in 2021, which expands protections for workers attempting to unionize, and has pledged to continue his support for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Part of Ryans plan for revitalizing the states working class includes creating new jobs by investing in infrastructure and funding more apprenticeship and skills training programs.

Ryan has served in theHouse of Representatives since 2003. He represents the 13thcongressional district, which encompasses Youngstown and Warren. Ryan is in his 10th term in the house.

The states Republican-led redistricting commission recently redrew the 13th and other congressional districts, but the changes were struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court for unfairly advantaging Republicans.

Ryan married his wife Andrea Zetts in 2013. They live in Howland, Ohio and have three kids together, two from Zetts previous marriage. Zetts is an elementary school teacher.

Ryan hoped to win the democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. He announced his candidacy for president in April 2019. His longshot bid for the presidency ended in Oct. 2019, when he announced his withdrawal from the race. Ryan qualified for the first couple Democratic debates in summer 2019, but failed to crack 1% in the national polls.

Ryan's major endorsements come from the Ohio Democratic party and Ohio. Sen. Brown. Fellow democratic Ohio congresswomen Joyce Beatty and Marcy Kaptur also endorsed Ryan.

Ryan also won the endorsement of a number of Ohiolabor unions, including the AFL-CIOand the United Auto Workers.

In 1995, Ryan got a bachelors degree in political science from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He then got a law degree from the University of New Hampshire Law School in 2000.

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Who is Tim Ryan? What to know about the congressman running for senate in Ohio - USA TODAY