Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
- Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio is running for president in 2020.
- Ryan unsuccessfully challenged Nancy Pelosi for the position of House Democratic Leader in 2016.
- Ryan’s entrance into the 2020 race adds another political moderate to the already diverse field of candidates.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Tim Ryan announced Thursday he will run for president in 2020, adding to an already large field of diverse candidates.
Ryan’s campaign website went live Thursday morning, which held a statement reading, "As a congressman from Youngstown, Ohio for almost 20 years, I’ve watched the American Dream slip through the fingers of many Americans."
"Like so many in America’s heartland, I come from a long line of factory workers who helped build our nation into a powerhouse of innovation. But over the last 20 years, failed leadership and broken promises have destroyed the middle-class, forcing our economy into crisis and pushing the American Dream out of reach," his statement added. "When our local GM factory was shutdown last Thanksgiving, I got a call from my daughter who was consoling her friend whose father was an auto worker and was just laid off. My daughter said to me, with tears in her voice, ‘You have to do something.’"
"That’s why I am running for President," Ryan said. "It’s time to do something."
Ryan, who has represented the Youngstown and Akron areas of Ohio since 2003, had previously drawn national attention during a failed challenge against then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in the wake of the 2016 presidential election that left Democrats without any control across the government.
A former lawyer, Ryan also sought to recruit a challenger against Pelosi when Democrats retook the House majority in 2018. No challenger ended up challenging Pelosi, leading Ryan and a handful of other rebellious Democrats to strike deals with leadership in eventually supporting Pelosi’s quest for the gavel.
Part of Ryan’s disappointment with the Democratic leadership over the years was due to continued losing in elections. In addition, he also took issue with the lack of Midwestern representation in the leadership structure, as most Democrats in charge in the House are from coastal states like California and New York.
Ryan wrote a book in 2012 titled, "A Mindful Nation," in which he argues that practicing mindfulness can benefit Americans in almost all areas of society.
In the House Ryan, serves on the Appropriations and Budget committees. Ryan has also pushed heavily to combat the deadly opioid crisis in the United States, which has hit Ohio particularly hard.
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Source: Business Insider – jperticone@businessinsider.com (Joe Perticone)