Tim Ryan, Ohio Congressman, Announces Presidential Bid for 2020: NPR

Ohio's representative, Tim Ryan, is the latest Democrat to join the growing group seeking the presidential nomination of 2020.

Ryan announced his intentions on ABC View On Thursday, he told the jury that he stood as a champion of the manufacturing sector in a country torn by trade and outsourcing.

"I understand this legacy of job loss, I understand where we have to go, the country is so divided right now that we can not develop a plan, the first thing we need to do is unify," he said. Ryan.

This focus on making and keeping jobs in the United States was an important part of Trump's winning campaign in 2016. Ryan criticized Trump's track record and approach, saying the president wanted to return to a "old economy" and save it instead of turning to emerging technologies. such as wind and other alternative energies.

"Trump was full of promise and gave nothing," Ryan said. "He forgot us."

Ryan is a more moderate legislator who represents blue-collar workers from Youngstown and other parts of Ohio who have gone from voting for Barack Obama to Trump. His populist policy has aligned himself with the president on issues such as manufacturing and trade, and he is opposed to NAFTA. This could help it stand out in a primer that counts many progressives because many Democrats worry about the need to win back the Rust Belt areas in 2020 to defeat Trump.

The 45-year-old is best known for his unsuccessful challenge against Representative Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., To lead Democrats in the House as the minority leader after the 2016 elections. Ryan criticized Pelosi and the Party democrats as a whole for being too disconnected from the working class.

"You know, we have to find jobs, and we need to find them in places like mine in Youngstown, Ohio, in the coal country," Ryan told NPR's Steve Inskeep. An interview in 2016. "You know, these people are human beings, they are American citizens, they work hard, they respect the rules, their voices have to be heard, and I think we need to contact them. And if we are Democrats, we need these people to leave Trump and join the Democrats. "

Ryan found himself with about one-third of the caucus support during the 2016 leadership race. He again sought to challenge Pelosi in 2018, after the Democrats reconquered the House, but eventually reached a conclusion. agree to support it.

Ryan has a much lower national profile than the other Democrats who are already running and no member of the House has managed to get directly from Congress to the White House since James Garfield. However, he is not the only one to have tried: the former Texas representative, Beto O 'Rourke, the representative of Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard and the former Maryland representative, John Delaney, are already in the running. Representatives from California, Eric Swalwell, and Massachusetts, Seth Moulton, are still evaluating their offers.