Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who raised his national profile several years ago with an unsuccessful leadership challenge against Nancy Pelosi, is joining the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates.
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Sources close to Ryan told Fox News that he will announce his intention to run in 2020 tomorrow on “The View,” and he is expected to make an official announcement in the following days.
BuzzFeed News reported that he is planning a Saturday rally in Youngstown. Leaders from local organized labor — long a staple of his base — have been invited to attend.
Bill Padisak, president of the Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO, which covers the Youngstown area, said he has been asked to help turn out the crowd.
“I believe he is going to announce his candidacy for presidency,” Padisak said.
Ryan, a moderate Ohio Democrat who in 2016 launched an unsuccessful bid to unseat Pelosi, D-Calif., as party leader in the House, has said his big concerns are education, the economy and China’s global influence.
Earlier this spring, he said his party has to be “very careful” not to appear too anti-business as it tries to win back the White House.
Asked how he could compete for the nomination with candidates with bigger bank accounts and more name recognition, Ryan cited onetime longshot candidates Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
“Nobody thought any of them had a chance to win. So my bet would be conventional wisdom never really works out,” he highlighted.
Fox News’ Sean Langille contributed to this report.