Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio has ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, he announced Thursday in a video.
“I’m announcing today I’m withdrawing from the presidential campaign. I’ll be returning home to my family and friends and community in Ohio,” Ryan said, adding that he would seek reelection for his House seat in the state’s 13th District.
“I got into this race in April to really give a voice to the forgotten people of our country, the workers who have been left behind, businesses who’ve been left behind, people who need healthcare or aren’t getting a quality education, or are saddled by tremendous debt. I wanted to give voice to the forgotten communities that have been left behind by globalization and automation. And I’m proud of this campaign, because I believe we’ve done that.”
I’m announcing today that I am withdrawing from the Presidential campaign.
I got into this race in April to really give voice to the forgotten people of our country. I look forward to continuing that fight.
Thank you, to everyone who supported this campaign. pic.twitter.com/BT4z3fQ205
— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) October 24, 2019
Ryan, 46, sought to position himself as a workingman’s answer to President Trump’s appeal in the Rust Belt. But since his April 4 campaign launch, Ryan was never able to break through the crowded primary field and gain substantial support for his White House bid. His campaign raised less than $1 million through the end of June, the smallest haul of any of the candidates who appeared on the debate stage in July. He barely made a dent in most presidential primary polls, often receiving 0% support.
His most prominent moment of the presidential race came in the June 26 debate, during a verbal tussle with fellow Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Ryan defended keeping residual U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which Gabbard opposed.
First elected to Congress in 2002, Ryan, 46, is currently serving his eighth term representing a northwestern Democratic-leaning district of the Buckeye State that encompasses Youngstown, Ohio, and part of Akron.
[Read: 2020 Democrat Tim Ryan refuses to put hand over heart during US national anthem]
