Tim Ryan weighing 2020 run for Valley and similar areas left behind

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said he’s giving strong consideration to running for president next year because “I have a voice that needs to be heard.”

Speaking with The Vindicator from Washington, D.C., today, Ryan said, “I won’t run if I don’t think I can win. I’m not in this for therapy or a vanity project. I’d run to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Ryan, of Howland, D-13th, said he’s looking at seeking the presidency because “the country is divided, and a divided country is a weak country. We can’t solve the big problems with a country divided.”

Ryan said he sees himself as a unifier who understands the struggles of those in the working class who continue to “fall behind or [are] barely able to keep their nose above water.”

He also said that “leaders in Washington” have “failed” to help struggling areas such as the Mahoning Valley.

“This would be for us,” Ryan said of a presidential bid. “In the last few years, I’ve seen so many communities with the same problems and same struggles” as this area.

Ryan said running for president “would be a sacrifice for me and my family, but I’m concerned” about areas that are being left behind.

Read more about his decision in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.