Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who is running against Republican J.D. Vance for the Senate seat to be vacated by GOP Senator Rob Portman, admitted that the “Democratic brand” could hurt him in the November election.
Ryan was interviewed by Manu Raju of CNN, who pointed out that Ryan’s ads “do not emphasize he is a Democrat and often votes with President Biden.” He asked Ryan, “Is that because it’s an implicit recognition that it’s a liability here?”
“Yeah, well, I mean, the Democratic brand, as we know, and you and I have talked about this for a long time is not good in a lot of these places,” Ryan confessed.
Ryan then made another in one of his continuing attempts to limn himself as a Democrat willing to take on his own party, saying, “What I want people to know is in this environment, do you have the guts to take on your own party? And from my vantage point for me, it’s a resounding yes.”
But as Newsweek pointed out, the perception Ryan is attempting to create is absurdly false:
In just the past two years, he’s voted to federalize elections, admit the District of Columbia as the 51st state, impose onerous new background check requirements on gun owners, and grant mass amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, in addition to co-sponsoring legislation that would restrict the right of states to legislate on abortion, and voting in favor of President Joe Biden‘s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” Act.
In the present iteration of Congress, Ryan has voted for Biden’s positions every time.
Video footage obtained by The Daily Wire showed a private Zoom meeting with the Cuyahoga Democratic Women’s Caucus, at which Ryan admitted that he would continue to vote with his progressive Democratic colleagues on abortion, LGBTQ and trans issues.
Asked by a caller, “Will you be the advocate that we need on abortion rights, the advocate that we need on trans people’s human dignity and their human rights and on gay rights?”
Ryan noted he had heavily supported the Women’s Health Protection Act, adding, “”I’ve been very vocal on these other issues that you mentioned. So you can count on me to be in the fight … I’m progressive. I’m going to vote that way. I’m going to support you in every way, shape, or form … You can count on me.”
Yet one of Ryan’s TV ads featured him saying, “You want culture wars? I’m not your guy. You want a fighter for Ohio? I’m all in.”