Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) has missed 70 votes since the start of the 116th Congress, putting him near the top of the pack in this category among his fellow 2020 Democratic contenders.
According to a project from ProPublica, Ryan missed 31.6 percent of all votes in the House as of last week, making him the third most absent member of the House.
For comparison, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15) has missed 48 votes, or 22.1 percent, while Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-02) has missed 18.9 percent at 41 votes skipped.
According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) leads the field among 2020 Democrats in the Senate. The New Jersey senator has missed 37 votes, which is 31.9 percent of all votes.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) has missed 27 votes, or 23.3 percent of all votes in the Senate.
ProPublica points out that Ryan has cast zero votes against party lines during this Congress. Out of the 433 members of Congress, Ryan ranks at 373 in bipartisanship.
“It’s no secret that Ryan has long been angling to leave his constituents behind with musings for higher office,” Mandi Merritt, Ohio spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, told The Ohio Star. “Now, he’s putting that indifference into action by choosing hobnobbing on the campaign trail over his day-today responsibilities as an Ohio representative.”
Merritt went on to ask why voters should “give him a promotion if he doesn’t even bother to show up for his current job.”
“Whether Ryan is running for president or just floating his name for higher office, he’s always willing to abandon his duties to the people of Ohio to better serve his own political ambitions,” she concluded.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Ryan” by Tim Ryan. Background Photo “House of Representatives Floor” by the House of Representatives.
