One of Ohio's United States Senate seats looks like it will have a new holder by 2023. Incumbent Republican Senator Rob Portman said he intends to retire rather than run again.

Attention quickly turned to who might run to succeed Portman. There's plenty of time remaining for various candidates to make a play for the seat. A big name on the Democratic side seems poised to enter the race soon.

Tim Ryan expected to announce a campaign formally

Tim Ryan, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is expected to run for the Senate, per Politico. A moderate Democrat, CNN indicates Ryan would be viewed as a strong candidate for the Democrats.

Ryan has become closely associated with the moderate wing of the party. After the Democrats were defeated in 2016, Ryan ran against incumbent Nancy Pelosi for House minority leader. The move was considered to be a longshot from the start. Ryan wanted to emphasize that the party should focus more on centrist issues. Though for a while it seemed to be a closer race than had been expected, Pelosi would prevail.

Ryan had a similar goal when he briefly made a run at the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. He's currently a prominent member of the House Appropriations Committee. Including chairing the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch.

Rob Portman is in his second term in the Senate. After announcing his retirement, many onlookers expressed sadness.

He viewed Portman as a thoughtful and considerate legislator, whether they agreed with him or not on issues. He's a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He had worked in the White House under President George H.W. Bush. Portman later became a prominent member of the George W. Bush administration. Serving as U.S.

Trade Representative and as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Ryan represents the 13th District of Ohio

When Tim Ryan was first elected to Congress, it was from Ohio's 17th District in 2002. His predecessor, Democrat James Traficant, had been expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives. He was convicted of several felonies and sent to prison.

Traficant still ran again in 2002 and later in 2010 as an Independent. He finished in distant third place both times. As a result of the 2010 Census, the 17th District was abolished after Ohio lost a House seat.

Ryan's district has since been the 13th, based in the Youngstown and Akron regions. Before holding office himself, Ryan was a staffer for Traficant. He later had a brief stay in the Ohio Senate.

Tim Ryan was recruited to Youngstown State University to play football. After an injury ended his football career, he transferred away to Bowling Green State University. There, he received a political science degree. He later also graduated from the Franklin Pierce Law Center, located in Concord, New Hampshire.
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