Ohio’s Rep Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) once again went against traditional Democratic talking points by saying it is “intellectually dishonest” to call 2016 Trump voters “racist.”
The Presidential hopeful made these remarks in a recent appeal to people in Iowa who were Obama and Trump supporters, according to the Iowa Gazette.
“I think it would be helpful for us to say why did they vote for Trump. They voted for Obama twice. So I think it’s intellectually lazy to say everyone’s a racist,” Ryan said. “There are people who are hurting and hurting economically.”
Ohio Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) believes he can win back the Barack Obama voters who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according the Gazette.
“Trump did well in my district. I did well in my district. I believe I can communicate to a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump that I have a plan that will actually get us home,” Ryan said. “I think communicating with people in Youngstown, Ohio, is not much different than Davenport or Dubuque or Des Moines or Sioux City. These are working-class towns, working-class people. They want to trust you, and they want to know you have a plan. And that’s the campaign.”
Ryan made this claim while in Iowa on last week where he is campaigning for the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee. Iowa is as an important state because it is the first primary for Democrats on Feb. 3, 2020.
Iowa had 31 counties in the 2016 election switch from Obama to Trump voters, which was the most of any state, according to NPR.
Ryan has touted his Ohio and mid-western roots to appeal to prospective voters.
“The flyover states are my states. The flyover states are your states, and the flyover states are going to start governing the United States of America again,” he said at his April 6 announcement.
Just two weeks into his presidential campaign, Ryan has not been shy about criticizing the President. Ryan blamed Trump for the current migrant crisis and called him “lazy” in his handling of it.
Also, Ryan voiced his worry about the rise of socialism in his own party.
“I’m concerned about it because if we are going to de-carbonize the American economy it’s not going to be some centralized bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. that’s going to make it happen. It’s going to be part targeted government investments that do need to be robust, but it’s going to be the free market that’s, at the end of the day, going to make that happen,” Ryan said.
2020 hopeful @RepTimRyan says he’s “concerned” about socialism and the Democratic Party.
“You can be hostile to concentration of wealth, you can be hostile to income inequality … We can't be hostile to the free-enterprise system. That’s how we get past China.” pic.twitter.com/ahlwI09rqb
— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) April 17, 2019
The Ohio House Representative is trying to stand out in a crowded field of 18 Democrats vying to take down President Donald Trump. In recent polls, Tim Ryan does not rank in the top 10 of prospective candidates.
Ryan has not yet qualified for the first Democratic debate as of April 17, according to New York Magazine.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News.
Photo “Tim Ryan” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Iowa State Fair” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
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