American politician (born 1973)
Timothy John Ryan
(born July 16, 1973) is an American politician who served as a
U.S. representative
for Ohio from 2003 to 2023. A member of the
Democratic Party
, he represented
Ohio's 13th congressional district
from 2013 to 2023, having previously represented
Ohio's 17th congressional district
from 2003 to 2013. Ryan's district included a large swath of northeastern Ohio, from
Youngstown
to
Akron
. He was the Democratic nominee in the
2022 United States Senate election in Ohio
.
Born in
Niles, Ohio
, Ryan worked as an aide to U.S. Representative
Jim Traficant
after studying political science at
Bowling Green State University
, and earned a
Juris Doctor
from the
University of New Hampshire School of Law
. He served in the
Ohio Senate
from 2001 to 2002 before winning the election to succeed Traficant.
In November 2016, Ryan launched an unsuccessful challenge to unseat
Nancy Pelosi
as
party leader
of the House Democrats. He was also a candidate for the
2020 Democratic presidential nomination
before ending his campaign in 2019 to run for reelection to the House.
[1]
Ryan was reelected to his tenth term in 2020.
[2]
In 2021, Ryan announced his candidacy for Ohio's Senate seat and won the Democratic nomination with 70% of the vote. He lost to
Republican
nominee
J. D. Vance
in the November 8, 2022, general election.
[3]
Early life and career
[
edit
]
Ryan was born in
Niles, Ohio
, the son of Rochelle Maria (Rizzi) and Allen Leroy Ryan;
[4]
he is of Irish and Italian ancestry. Ryan's parents divorced when he was seven years old, and Ryan was raised by his mother.
[5]
Ryan graduated from
John F. Kennedy High School
in
Warren
, where he played football as a
quarterback
and coached junior high basketball. He was recruited to play football at
Youngstown State University
, but a knee injury ended his playing career and he transferred to
Bowling Green State University
.
[5]
Ryan received a
Bachelor of Arts
degree in
political science
from Bowling Green in 1995 and was a member of
Delta Tau Delta
fraternity. After college, he joined the staff of Ohio Congressman
Jim Traficant
.
[5]
In 2000, Ryan earned a
Juris Doctor
degree from
Franklin Pierce Law Center
in
Concord, New Hampshire
.
[6]
From 2000 to 2002 he served half a term in the
Ohio State Senate
.
[5]
U.S. House of Representatives
[
edit
]
Elections
[
edit
]
After
Jim Traficant
was convicted on criminal charges in 2002, Ryan declared his candidacy for the 17th district. As the result of
redistricting
following the 2000
census
, the 17th, which had long been based in Youngstown, had been pushed west and included much of
Portage County
and part of Akron. Before the redistricting, all of Akron had been part of the 14th district, represented by eight-term Democrat
Tom Sawyer
. The 14th had been eliminated in 2000; most of it was drawn into the 13th district of fellow Democrat
Sherrod Brown
, but Sawyer's home was drawn into the 17th. Ryan was initially seen as an underdog in a six-way Democratic primary that included Sawyer.
[5]
In the 2002 Democratic primary, Ryan defeated Sawyer, who was seen as insufficiently labor-friendly in the newly drawn district. In the November 2002 general election, he faced Republican Insurance Commissioner
Ann Womer Benjamin
as well as Traficant, who ran as an independent from his prison cell. Ryan won with 51% of the vote to Benjamin's 37%. When he took office in January 2003, he was the youngest Democrat in the House, at 29 years of age. He was reelected to represent the 17th district five times,
[7]
[8]
only once facing a contest nearly as close as his first. In 2010, he was held to 53% of the vote; Traficant, running as an independent, took 16%.
Since
redistricting
in 2012, he has served five terms as the U.S. representative for the 13th district.
Tenure
[
edit
]
In his first year in office in 2003, Ryan was one of seven members of Congress to vote against the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act, and one of eight to oppose ratification of the
Federal Trade Commission
's establishment of a
National Do Not Call Registry
.
[9]
In 2010, Ryan voted for the
Stupak Amendment
restricting federal funding for abortions, but in January 2015, he announced that having "gained a deeper understanding of the complexities and emotions that accompany the difficult decisions [about whether to end a pregnancy]" over his time in public office, he had reversed his position on abortion and now identified as
pro-choice
.
[10]
In 2010, Ryan introduced the
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act
, which sought punitive trade
tariffs
on countries, notably
China
, that were engaging in
currency manipulation
. It passed the
House
overwhelmingly but never made it to the floor in the Senate. In an October 2010 interview with conservative magazine
Human Events
, Ryan said tax increases on small businesses were necessary "because we have huge deficits. We gotta shore up
Social Security
. We gotta shrink our deficits."
[11]
[12]
Ryan initiated a bid to replace Pelosi as
House Minority Leader
on November 17, 2016, prompted by colleagues after the
2016 presidential election
.
[13]
After Pelosi agreed to give more leadership opportunities to junior members,
[14]
she defeated Ryan by a vote of 134?63 on November 30.
[15]
Ryan supported the
Iran nuclear deal
to prevent
Iran
from acquiring
weapons of mass destruction
. In April 2016, he tweeted, "I was in Jerusalem a few weeks ago & saw firsthand the dangerous threat Israelis face. Israel has the right to defend itself from terror."
[16]
Around 2018, Ryan helped Adi Othman, an undocumented immigrant in
Youngstown, Ohio
, remain in the United States.
[17]
Othman had lived in the United States for nearly 40 years, ran several businesses in Youngstown, was married to a US citizen and had four US-born children.
[17]
Ryan repeatedly presented a bill to Congress whereby Othman would be granted a more thorough review of his case to stay in the United States (Othman disputed a verdict by immigration officials on a matter that affected his legal status); the fact that the bill was in motion meant that Othman could temporarily stay.
[17]
Othman was deported from the United States in February 2018 after President
Donald Trump
directed
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) to increase the number of arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
[17]
Ryan condemned the deportation, saying, "To watch these families get ripped apart is the most heart-breaking thing any American citizen could ever see ... Because you are for these families, it doesn't mean you are not for a secure border."
[17]
Ryan chaired the
Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch
, which investigated the
January 6 United States Capitol attack
.
[18]
In May 2021, Ryan angrily chastised Senate Republicans for blocking a
January 6 commission
to investigate the
January 6 United States Capitol attack
.
[19]
Committee assignments
[
edit
]
Caucus memberships
[
edit
]
2020 presidential campaign
[
edit
]
After the 2018 midterms, Ryan was seen as a possible candidate for the
2020 presidential election
.
[28]
In February and March 2019, he traveled to early primary states such as
Iowa
and
New Hampshire
.
[29]
Ryan's 2020 presidential campaign officially began on April 4, 2019, when he announced his candidacy in the
Democratic primaries
.
[30]
He also announced that he would seek the nomination on
The View
.
[31]
[32]
After qualifying for only two debates and continuously polling below 1% nationwide, Ryan formally withdrew from the race on October 24, 2019. He was reelected to the House of Representatives in 2020.
[33]
[34]
2022 U.S. Senate election
[
edit
]
On January 25, 2021,
Republican
U.S. Senator
from Ohio
Rob Portman
announced that he would not seek reelection in
2022
.
[35]
Ryan filed paperwork to run to replace him.
[36]
On April 26, 2021, Ryan announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in a video posted via
Twitter
.
[37]
Ryan defeated
Morgan Harper
and
Traci Johnson
in the Democratic primary and faced Republican nominee
J. D. Vance
in the general election.
[38]
In pursuit of center-right voters,
[39]
Ryan's campaign sought to portray him as a moderate or "independent", highlighting that he voted for some of former President
Donald Trump
's policies.
[40]
Ryan also criticized and distanced himself from fellow Democrats, including President
Joe Biden
, suggesting that Biden should not seek reelection in
2024
,
[41]
and
progressive
Representative
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
, whose endorsement he seemingly rejected.
[42]
A Ryan campaign ad, repeatedly blaming China for the loss of American jobs,
[43]
[44]
attracted criticism from politicians and Asian American groups, who said it encouraged Sinophobia and anti-Asian hate. Representative
Grace Meng
called on Ryan to stop airing it.
[45]
On November 8, 2022, Ryan lost to Vance in the general election by 6 points.
[46]
Political views
[
edit
]
Ryan is an advocate of
economic protectionism
,
unionization
, and steps to reduce
income inequality
.
[47]
[48]
[49]
A critic of the
North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), he has criticized
George W. Bush
's and
Barack Obama
's trade policies.
[47]
[48]
[50]
Ryan has supported tougher measures against
China
and
its ruling party
. He has accused the nation of
currency manipulation
and
outsourcing American manufacturing jobs
.
[47]
[51]
Publications
[
edit
]
In March 2012,
Hay House
published Ryan's
A Mindful Nation
,
[52]
a book about the practice of
mindfulness
in both private and public life. He writes in his introduction:
If more citizens can reduce stress and increase performance?even if only by a little?they will be healthier and more resilient. They will be better equipped to face the challenges of daily life, and to arrive at creative solutions to the challenges facing our nation.
In October 2014, the same publisher published Ryan's
The Real Food Revolution
.
[
citation needed
]
Personal life
[
edit
]
In 2013, Ryan married Andrea Zetts, his second wife;
[53]
they have lived in
Howland Township
near
Warren, Ohio
, since that year,
[53]
[54]
with Zetts's two children from a previous relationship
[54]
and the couple's son together.
[55]
Ryan is a Roman Catholic.
[56]
[57]
Ryan described himself as a
pro-life Catholic
when first running for Congress in 2002, but by 2015 he shifted his stance towards
pro-choice
, arguing that "no federal or state law banning abortion can honestly and fairly take into account the various circumstances that make each decision unique".
[58]
Ryan spent 12 years in Catholic schools such as the
John F. Kennedy Catholic School
and named
Catholic social teaching
as a major influence on his life and political thought. He also emphasized the religiosity of his family, crediting his "devout grandfather, other churchgoing relatives, social-justice-minded religious sisters" as his inspiration. Ryan also expressed his deep respect for
Pope Francis
, writing: "I'm on the Pope Francis Twitter feed and I make sure I'm always staying connected to what he's saying on public issues".
[57]
Ryan styled himself as a "Roosevelt-style Catholic Democrat" while campaigning, emphasising both his working-class background and Irish-Italian Catholic roots, and is seen by political pundits as a "more traditional Catholic willing to swim in traditional political waters".
[57]
Electoral history
[
edit
]
Ohio's 17th congressional district
: Results 2002?2010
[59]
Year
|
|
Democrat
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
|
Republican
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
|
Other
|
Party
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
2002
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
94,441
|
51%
|
|
Ann Womer Benjamin
|
62,188
|
34%
|
|
James A. Traficant, Jr.
|
Independent
|
28,045
|
15%
|
2004
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
212,800
|
77%
|
|
Frank V. Cusimano
|
62,871
|
23%
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
170,369
|
80%
|
|
Don Manning II
|
41,925
|
20%
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
217,556
[60]
|
78%
|
|
Duane Grassell
[61]
|
60,760
[60]
|
22%
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
102,758
[62]
|
54%
|
|
Jim Graham
|
57,352
[62]
|
30%
|
|
James A. Traficant, Jr.
|
Independent
|
30,556
[62]
|
16%
|
Ohio's 13th congressional district
: Results 2012?2020
[59]
Year
|
|
Democrat
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
|
Republican
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
2012
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
227,076
|
72%
|
|
Marisha Agana
|
86,269
|
28%
|
2014
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
120,230
|
69%
|
|
Thomas Pekarek
|
55,233
|
31%
|
2016
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
208,610
|
68%
|
|
Richard Morckel
|
99,377
|
32%
|
2018
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
149,271
|
61%
|
|
Chris DePizzo
|
96,225
|
39%
|
2020
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
173,631
|
53%
|
|
Christina Hagan
|
148,648
|
45%
|
U.S. Senate
Year
|
|
Republican
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
|
Democrat
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
2022
|
|
J. D. Vance
|
2,192,114
|
53%
|
|
Timothy J. Ryan
|
1,939,489
|
47%
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Democratic U.S. Representative Ryan of Ohio ends presidential bid"
.
Reuters
. October 24, 2019
. Retrieved
October 28,
2019
.
- ^
"Democrat Tim Ryan wins reelection to U.S. House in Ohio's 13th Congressional District"
.
Associated Press
. November 3, 2020
. Retrieved
November 10,
2020
.
- ^
Carr Smyth, Julie (November 8, 2022).
"Trump-backed JD Vance retains GOP's US Senate seat in Ohio"
. Associated Press
. Retrieved
November 9,
2022
.
- ^
"Timothy John Ryan (b. 1973)"
. Archived from
the original
on October 16, 2017
. Retrieved
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2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Simonich, Milan (November 11, 2002).
"Newsmaker: Tim Ryan / His win ends Traficant era in troubled Ohio district"
.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
. Retrieved
July 25,
2016
.
- ^
"Biography of Tim Ryan"
.
Timryan.house.gov
. Retrieved
August 23,
2010
.
- ^
[1]
Archived
July 1, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Dubail, Jean (April 19, 2008).
"Congressman Tim Ryan endorses Clinton"
.
The Plain Dealer
. Retrieved
December 26,
2015
.
- ^
"Congressional Votes on (US) Telemarketing Rule ? Telemarketing Scum Page"
.
Scn.org
. Archived from
the original
on December 28, 2012
. Retrieved
December 26,
2015
.
- ^
"Tim Ryan: Why I changed my thinking on abortion"
.
Akron Beacon Journal
. Archived from
the original
on December 27, 2015
. Retrieved
December 26,
2015
.
- ^
Miller, Emily (October 1, 2010).
"Democrat Tim Ryan: Raise Taxes on Small Businesses"
.
Human Events
. Archived from
the original
on October 3, 2010
. Retrieved
October 15,
2010
.
- ^
Hagen, Lisa; Railey, Kimberly (January 18, 2015).
"The Congressional Tease Caucus: 9 Members Who Think (but Never Act) on Running for Higher Office"
.
National Journal
. Archived from
the original
on January 19, 2015
. Retrieved
January 20,
2015
.
- ^
"Rep. Tim Ryan announces challenge to Pelosi"
.
CNN
. November 17, 2016
. Retrieved
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2016
.
- ^
"Pelosi promises more influence for junior Democrats"
.
U.S. News & World Report
. Associated Press. November 22, 2016
. Retrieved
November 30,
2016
.
- ^
Kane, Paul; O’Keefe, Ed (November 30, 2016).
"Nancy Pelosi beats back challenge, is chosen as House Democratic leader"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
November 30,
2016
.
- ^
Richman, Jackson (April 5, 2019).
"Record at a glance: Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan supports Israeli self-defense, though favors Iran deal"
. Jewish News Syndicate.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Karadsheh, Jomana; Khadder, Kareem (February 8, 2018).
"
'Pillar of the community' deported from US to a land he barely knows"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
February 8,
2018
.
- ^
Campbell, Barbara (January 11, 2021).
"2 Capitol Police Officers Suspended For Actions During Rioters' Attack On Capitol"
. NPR
. Retrieved
January 12,
2021
.
- ^
Spocchia, Gino (May 20, 2021).
"Democrat angrily chastises GOP for blocking Capitol riot commission"
.
The Independent
.
Archived
from the original on May 7, 2022
. Retrieved
September 24,
2021
.
- ^
"Tim Ryan, Representative for Ohio's 13th Congressional District"
.
GovTrack.us
. Retrieved
April 1,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Members"
. U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from
the original
on August 1, 2018
. Retrieved
August 5,
2018
.
- ^
"Membership"
. Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from
the original
on June 12, 2018
. Retrieved
March 23,
2018
.
- ^
"Members"
. Afterschool Alliance
. Retrieved
April 17,
2018
.
- ^
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. United States House of Representatives. Archived from
the original
on March 30, 2019
. Retrieved
April 8,
2019
.
- ^
"Members"
. August 19, 2021.
- ^
"STATEMENT OF CANDIDACY"
(PDF)
.
Archived
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from the original on April 13, 2019
. Retrieved
April 25,
2019
.
- ^
"TIM RYAN FOR AMERICA"
. Retrieved
February 11,
2020
.
- ^
O'Reilly, Andrew (February 6, 2019).
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. Fox News
. Retrieved
February 6,
2019
.
- ^
Gomez, Henry J. (February 8, 2019).
"Rep. Tim Ryan Is Heading To Iowa And New Hampshire As He Considers Running For President"
.
BuzzFeed News
. Retrieved
February 9,
2019
.
- ^
Taylor, Jessica (April 4, 2019).
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.
NPR
. Archived from
the original
on April 4, 2019
. Retrieved
April 4,
2019
.
- ^
Sullivan, Sean; Wagner, John (April 4, 2019).
"Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio joins Democratic presidential race"
.
The Washington Post
.
Archived
from the original on April 25, 2019
. Retrieved
April 25,
2019
.
- ^
"Ohio congressman Tim Ryan joins crowded field seeking Democrat nomination"
.
The Denver Channel
. April 4, 2019.
- ^
Smith, Allan (October 24, 2019).
"Tim Ryan drops out of presidential race"
.
NBC News
. Retrieved
October 24,
2019
.
- ^
Merica, Dan (October 24, 2019).
"Tim Ryan ends 2020 presidential campaign"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
October 24,
2019
.
- ^
Everett, Burgess; Arkin, James (January 25, 2021).
"Portman's exit signals uncertainty for Senate GOP"
.
Politico
. Retrieved
January 26,
2021
.
- ^
"FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1514386"
.
docquery.fec.gov
. Retrieved
April 26,
2021
.
- ^
"Democratic U.S. Representative Tim Ryan launches run for Senate"
. KELO-AM. April 26, 2021
. Retrieved
April 27,
2021
.
- ^
Shivaram, Deepa (May 3, 2022).
"Rep. Tim Ryan wins Democratic Senate primary in Ohio, the AP says"
.
NPR
.
- ^
Tobias, Andrew J. (September 23, 2022).
"New J.D. Vance ad targets Tim Ryan's support among Republican and independent voters"
.
The Plain Dealer
. Retrieved
September 25,
2022
.
- ^
Fahlberg, Audrey; Prude, Harvest (September 23, 2022).
"Tim Ryan's Fox News Campaign Strategy"
.
The Dispatch
. Retrieved
September 25,
2022
.
- ^
Merica, Dan (September 19, 2022).
"Trump looks to thwart Tim Ryan's courtship of Republican voters in Ohio"
.
CNN
. Retrieved
September 25,
2022
.
- ^
Dorman, John L.
"Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan waves off support from AOC in his Ohio Senate bid: 'It's not a helpful endorsement here'
"
.
Business Insider
. Retrieved
November 18,
2022
.
- ^
Yam, Kimmy (April 1, 2022).
"Asian Americans call out Rep. Tim Ryan for airing ad that's 'rife with Sinophobia'
"
.
NBC News
.
- ^
"Facing criticism, Tim Ryan defends anti-China ad in Ohio Senate race"
.
Roll Call
. April 4, 2022.
- ^
Yam, Kimmy (April 1, 2022).
"Asian Americans call out Rep. Tim Ryan for airing ad that's 'rife with Sinophobia'
"
.
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.
- ^
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.
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. November 8, 2022
. Retrieved
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.
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b
c
Hicks, Kathleen (2018).
Beyond the Water's Edge: Measuring the Internationalism of Congress
.
Center for Strategic & International Studies
. pp. 126?127.
ISBN
9781442280885
.
Since entering Congress in 2003, Ryan has established a strong reputation as a defender of the working class and an ardent opponent of the Bush and Obama administration trade agendas. Ryan voted against all of the major trade liberalization deals included in this study from 2006-2016... In particular, Ryan has often criticized what he views as unfair trade practices adopted by China and has introduced legislation to counter Chinese currency manipulation.
- ^
a
b
Francia, Peter (2006).
The Future of Organized Labor in American Politics
.
Columbia University Press
. pp. 33, 149.
ISBN
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.
- ^
Douglas, Michael (November 14, 2021).
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.
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.
- ^
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Jackson, Herb (April 4, 2022).
"Facing criticism, Tim Ryan defends anti-China ad in Ohio Senate race"
.
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.
- ^
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.
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. Archived from
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. Retrieved
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- ^
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Eaton, Sabrina (April 22, 2013).
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.
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Eaton, Sabrina (May 22, 2013).
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.
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- ^
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Heipel, Edie (November 22, 2022).
"Democrat Tim Ryan calls for some abortion limits as Ohio Senate race tightens"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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Fraga, Brian (October 26, 2022).
"JD Vance and Tim Ryan, two very different Catholics, vie for power in Ohio"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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.
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. January 28, 2015
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
a
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"Election Statistics"
. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
a
b
"CANVASS OF VOTES - NOVEMBER 4, 2008 GENERAL ELECTION"
(PDF)
.
ohiosos.gov
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. Vote Smart
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.
ohiosos.gov
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2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
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