Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) called his Senate race against author J.D. Vance a “David vs. Goliath” situation due to the GOP’s massive cash advantage in the race.
Ryan said his campaign is “slogging,” while GOP benefactors such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and entrepreneur Peter Thiel donated $40 million and $15 million, respectively, to Vance’s campaign.
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“Low-dollar donors — I get little notes. … Someone that’s on Social Security sends you a $10 check because that’s all they can give,” Ryan said during an interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday. “That’s what’s fueling this campaign.”
“It’s David vs. Goliath, but I think we got a really, really good shot to win this thing,” he continued.
He added that the national and state donor base is “very helpful” in keeping the campaign afloat, with 95% of the contributions being under $100.
When asked why the Democratic Party has not thrown any large donations at him or other Democratic candidates, Ryan said he always has expressed his “levels of frustration” with the Democratic Party being disconnected from working-class people.
The Democratic nominee said he believes he won the debate against Vance on Monday and will prove that Vance is a “fraud” in the debate next week.
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“We wanted to make sure we held his feet to the fire,” he said. “You see so many candidates get away with all the crap that they’ve been saying for many months, or years, really.”
Polls have varied in showing who has the lead in the race. Ryan held a 0.3-percentage-point lead over Vance as of Monday, according to a FiveThirtyEight poll. However, a Marist Poll released on Oct. 5 showed Vance with a 1-percentage-point lead over Ryan. The race is considerably tight in a state that has mostly favored Republican candidates in recent years.
