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Will Tim Ryan run for president?
By DAVID SKOLNICK
skolnick@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan is expected to announce today that he’s running for president, sources close to him say.
Ryan, of Howland, D-13th, is scheduled to appear today on the ABC talk show “The View” to discuss his decision. “The View’ airs locally at 11 a.m. on WYTV 33.
Ryan, who was in New York City in preparation for the show, couldn’t be reached late Wednesday by The Vindicator to comment.
Gallery
But he told the newspaper last week he was close to making a decision on a 2020 bid.
He also said last week he’s “listening to what other candidates are saying. I’m a little concerned that I’m not hearing about jobs and health care and pensions. We’re not hearing a lot about that. I think those are the most important things.”
William Padisak, president of the Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO, said Ryan recently contacted him asking him to get the word out to labor about a Saturday rally in downtown Youngstown.
While Padisak said Ryan didn’t specifically tell him he was going to run, the labor leader said, “I expect it. Why would you have a rally downtown with national media unless you’re running for president?”
The Saturday rally will be on West Federal Street in front of the Youngstown Business Incubator at 2 p.m. with people lining up about 1 p.m., Padisak said.
David Betras, chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, a close confidant of Ryan, said he’s had discussions with the congressman about a potential presidential bid but declined to comment about them.
Ryan, a nine-term congressman, first told The Vindicator in July 2018 he was interested in running for president.
He was in Iowa, the first state with a presidential caucus, last weekend and is heading back there Sunday.
Ryan has attracted national media attention since his unsuccessful challenge in November 2016 to Nancy Pelosi to be the House minority leader. Ryan lost 134 to 63 but raised his political profile.
The first Democratic debate is in Miami on June 26 and 27 – because there are so many potential candidates the debate will be two days with the lineups chosen at random. To qualify, a candidate needs to either have at least 1 percent support in three qualifying polls or have at least 65,000 unique donors with a minimum of 200 different donors in at least 20 states.
Ryan would be the 16th Democrat to announce for the presidency.