Democrat Tim Ryan dodges question on whether he'll let Biden campaign for him in Ohio Senate race
'I don’t think, you know, surrogates are going to play a huge role here.'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It doesn’t appear Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, is that interested in President Joe Biden helping out his Senate campaign in Ohio.
During a Wednesday interview on CNN’s New Day, Ryan did his best to dodge whether he would allow Biden to come out and campaign for him against Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
In an awkward deflection, Ryan told anchor John Berman that he would be the face of his own campaign and wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of "surrogates" running with him. He then seemed to try to soften the blow to Biden by saying he’d welcome any support from anyone, including Democrats and even Republicans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Ryan did not mention Biden once in his answer.
ABC’s "Good Morning America" and "World News Tonight," CBS’ "CBS Mornings" and "Evening News," and NBC’s "Today" and "Nightly News" all ignored then-Vice President Biden’s meeting with Eric Schwerin. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The specific Biden question came at the end of the segment between Berman and Ryan, with the anchor asking, "Will you invite President Biden to come campaign for you?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ryan paused for a moment before giving his winding answer. He stated, "Look, we welcome everybody’s support, but I will be the face of this campaign. I don’t think, you know, surrogates are going to play a huge role here."
The lawmaker then discussed how he wanted the message to stay his own. "I want people to get to know me, I want to control my message, I want it to be my face and my background, my record. That’s what we’re going to push," he stated.
He explained that he welcomed support from all sources. "And we welcome support from all corners, like I said, Democrats, Republicans and independents, we’re going to have a big Republicans for Ryan initiative with elected officials, Republican elected officials in Ohio supporting us," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Rep. Tim Ryan answers a question during Ohio's U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Debate on Monday, March 28, 2022 at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, Pool)
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Ryan even mentioned that there would be Trump voters supporting him, adding, "Veterans who are two-time Trump voters who are in our camp."
Ryan stressed his desire for bipartisan unity under his campaign. "This is what the American people want, this is what Ohioans want, build a community of people who really care about Ohio, care about the country and want to put this partisan stuff behind us. The age of stupidity behind us," he finished, laughing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}John Berman
Earlier in the segment Berman had commented that since Trump had won Ohio by eight points in 2020, Ryan would need to bring in the MAGA crowd. "If you’re going to win this Senate race, you need to create something of a Trump-Ryan voter," Berman said.
The Senate candidate agreed and said his campaign is "not about being a Democrat or being a Republican, I think, this is about being an American."