Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) now says he is planning to vote “yes” for State Issues 1 and 2, making him the fourth and last leading statewide Ohio candidate to do so.
When asked previously about the state issues Ryan stated he had not “read them” and intends to “dig into them before I make a decision.”
Vance has endorsed both state issues, calling them “common sense.” Republican Governor Mike DeWine and his Democratic contender Nan Whaley have also said they will vote for both ballot initiatives.
Ryan said during a Tuesday night Senate candidate forum on Fox News that he is planning to vote for State Issue 1 which requires local judges to take public safety into consideration when setting bail for defendants in criminal cases.
Ryan appeared on the Fox News forum with his Republican opponent J.D. Vance.
“I support making sure judges have the right in the constitutional amendment to be able to balance their decision with regard to public safety. I’m voting yes on that,” Ryan said.
In the past, Ryan has said he wanted to eliminate the bail system. He reiterated this in an interview in 2019 with the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union.
“I think the bail system is inherently unfair, so I would be for eliminating it,” Ryan said.
Most Democratic state lawmakers voted against even placing Issue 1 on the ballot, saying it would unfairly allow rich criminal defendants to post bail while the poor defendants remained in jail.
When pressed further on the topic by a Fox News host bringing up prior comments that he wanted to eliminate cash bail and release non-violent criminals and drug traffickers from prison, Ryan deflected the question. Instead, Ryan redirected the host describing his support of releasing people from prison who are convicted of non-violent marijuana-related crimes.
Ryan reportedly told The Plain Dealer in an interview with that he is also voting “yes” on State Issue 2, which would prohibit local governments from allowing non-citizens or those who lack the qualifications of an elector to vote in local elections.
But in 2018, Ryan voted for a resolution stating congressional opposition to granting voting rights to illegal immigrants. Only six months later, in 2019, Ryan voted against a motion to recommit that would express the position of Congress that illegal immigrants should not be allowed to vote in U.S. elections.
Democrats in the Ohio House voted against placing the measure on the ballot, but Senate Democrats voted in favor of it.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Ryan” by Congressman Tim Ryan.
