Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Tim Ryan thinks he knows why his party has turned its back on him—he’d be a “royal pain in the ass” for Senate Democrats if he won his race against GOP challenger, J.D. Vance.
In an interview with Politico that published Friday, he said he wasn’t even sure he’d back Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as majority leader if he won.
“I will get to the Senate and be beholden to absolutely nobody, right? And I will be, probably, a royal pain in the ass when I get there,” said Ryan. “And that may be a reason why we’re not getting help.”
As The Washington Post recently reported, while Democrats are “heaping praise” on the congressman, the national party hasn't helped as much as he has hoped given how competitive the race is. But his pleas for more assistance may be undermining his argument that he'd be independent from party leadership.
Failing to help Ryan sends a larger message that Democrats are giving up on the state, according to some in the party. “I worry that Democrats in Washington send a signal to Republicans, that if they come in big and attack a Democrat, Democrats walk away,” said David Pepper, a former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.
Ryan’s not-so subtle requests for more outside help from Democrats could threaten to undermine one key strength of his candidacy: His independence from the Democratic Party.
On Monday night during the second and final Ohio Senate debate, Vance attacked him for his entreaties. “The guy who’s subservient to the national party is Tim Ryan, who has been begging for these guys to come into this race and save him from the campaign that he’s been running,” Vance said from the debate stage. (The Washington Post)
The RealClearPolitics average of polls has Vance up 2.3 points and gives the race a “leans GOP” ranking.