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U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan won't run next year for governor while Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni will
Valley Democrat first to announce candidacy for Ohio governor post
YOUNGSTOWN
One Mahoning Valley Democrat is out of the 2018 gubernatorial race and another one is in.
The moves came Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, one of the top Democrats considering a bid, opting not to seek the post and Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, saying he was going to run for governor.
Neither move came as a surprise.
Ryan said as early as November 2016 that he was “in a really good place here in Congress” and didn’t sound like a candidate for governor despite saying he was looking at running for the job.
Meanwhile Schiavoni has been traveling the state since the summer making no secret that he was interested in the gubernatorial position.
“Yes, I’m running,” Schiavoni, the first Democrat to officially declare his candidacy for governor, said Tuesday. “I’ve been pretty clear for a while. I’ve been traveling the state to gain the trust of people and talking about jobs, schools and safe communities.”
Ryan, an eight-term congressman, has spent the past few months mulling the idea of a campaigning for governor, but opted not to do so primarily because of his House committee assignments and family obligations.
Ryan was recently promoted to ranking Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Legislative Branch Subcommittee while remaining on the committee’s Defense Subcommittee, giving him more seniority and influence with others members of Congress.
“While I have been truly humbled by the encouragement I’ve received to run for governor of Ohio, I believe the best way to serve my community, my state and my country is to remain in the United States Congress,” Ryan said.
“There, I believe I can channel the support I’ve received through my positions on the Appropriations Committee and Defense Subcommittee to fight back against wrong-headed policies and champion the kinds of solutions that would have a real impact for American families.”
Ryan added: “With the perspective of my district and the voices of my constituents, I am eager to work with my colleagues to craft a vision for a future of hope, prosperity and equality for every single American. We can no longer leave individuals, communities, or entire regions behind. Until we step up to this challenge, our nation will continue to be vulnerable to slick-talking charlatans willing to tell people what they want to hear while only benefiting Wall Street and wealthy donors.”
Ryan said he’s “confident Ohio Democrats will stick together and upend the disastrous Republican one-party rule in Ohio” and that he is eager to work with Democrats to win elections next year.
Schiavoni said he waited for Ryan to make his decision before announcing what he would do.
“I was going to make a decision on whether to run against someone in the same district or not,” said Schiavoni, a state senator for the past eight years whose term expires at the end of 2018. “But I was still talking to people to gather information on my campaign and how to make Ohio better and stronger.”
Schiavoni said he would have considered running next year for the U.S. House if Ryan sought the gubernatorial seat.
“But it wasn’t something I strived to do,” he said. “It was something to consider, but I felt it wasn’t something I wanted to do.”
While Schiavoni is the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for governor, he is not likely to be the last.
The Senate minority leader said he’s prepared for a primary.
Ex-U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, the former head of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., said she will announce next week her decision on running for governor.
She is expected to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination.
The top potential candidate is Richard Cordray, a former state attorney general and treasurer who is director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Unless he resigns or is fired by Republican President Donald Trump, Cordray’s term doesn’t expire until July.
Other potential Democratic candidates for governor include ex-state Rep. Connie Pillich, the unsuccessful 2014 state treasurer candidate; ex-Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, the former head of the U.S. Economic Development Administration; Ohio Supreme Court Justice William M. O’Neill; Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune; and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.
The top likely Republican candidates for governor in 2018 are all sitting statewide officeholders.
While none have officially announced, it’s a foregone conclusion that they are running. They are Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. Also, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci is making moves to run for governor.