Hillary Clinton urges Tim Ryan to run for Ohio Senate seat

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Rep. Tim Ryan (D) to run for the Ohio Senate seat being vacated when current Sen. Rob Portman (R) retires at the end of his term. 

“Rep. Tim Ryan is ‘seriously considering’ running for U.S. Senate in 2022,” tweeted Kathy DiCristofaro, a Democratic National Committee member. “Ohio needs leaders like @TimRyan to fight for working people. I’m all In!” 

Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, chimed in with a tweet of her own, saying, “You’re right, Kathy!” 

You’re right, Kathy! https://t.co/RhC1wA00l2

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 30, 2021

Portman announced earlier this month that he would retire at the end of his current term, which ends this year. Ryan has said he is “looking seriously” at the possibility of running for the seat.

“I’m overwhelmed by supporters who are reaching out to encourage me to run for Senate. I haven’t made a decision yet but I’m looking seriously at it,” Ryan, who ran for president in 2020, said in a tweet on Jan. 25. “Ohio deserves leaders who fight for working people.”

Democrats are hoping to flip the seat in the tightly controlled upper chamber. They were able to gain enough Senate seats in the November election to gain control of the chamber with a 50-50 split while holding the tie-breaking vote with Vice President Harris.

Ryan is seen as a moderate candidate in a state that has moved to the right since the end of former President Obama’s term. Former President Trump won Ohio handily in both 2016 and 2020.