Tim Ryan
Encyclopedia
Timothy John "Tim" Ryan (born July 16, 1973) is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. He previously served in the Ohio Senate
.
and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School
in Warren
, where he played football as a quarterback
. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in political science
from Bowling Green State University
in 1995 and was a member of Delta Tau Delta
fraternity. In 2000, he earned a Juris Doctor
degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center
in Concord, New Hampshire
.
Ryan served on the staff of controversial U.S. Representative Jim Traficant
(D-Ohio) in the mid-1990s. From 2000 to 2002 he served a term in the Ohio State Senate.
, which is a Congressional caucus
that includes those members of the United States House of Representatives
who are Democrats and have not yet reached the age of 40. It was organized by the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
to energize and engage younger people in politics by focusing on issues that are important to them.
Ryan voted for the Stupak Amendment restricting federal funding for abortions. In March 2010, he stated that he will vote "Yes" on the Senate version of the Health Care bill lacking Stupak Amendment language.
Before the 2004 presidential election, Ryan spoke on the House floor in an impassioned speech denouncing the Bush administration's denial of a draft reinstatement, comparing this to the administration's previous claims that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, the Bush tax cuts
would create jobs, and other such claims. He repeated in September 2006 with an equally-heated speech criticizing what he felt to be the Bush administration's tendency to distract the public from key issues like the war in Iraq and the economy.
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".
As the result of redistricting
following the 2000 census
, the 17th, which had long been based in Youngstown, now included portions of Akron
and Portage County
. 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 the year 2000 redistricting; most of it was drawn into the 13th District of fellow Democrat Sherrod Brown
, but Sawyer's home was drawn into the 17th. In the 2002 Democratic primary, Ryan defeated Sawyer, who was seen as insufficiently labor-friendly in the newly-drawn district. Traficant ran as an independent in the race from his prison cell.
Ryan easily won the general election in November 2002. When he took office in January 2003, he was the youngest Democrat in the House, at 29 years of age.
for Senate in 2006 but he declined. He endorsed Paul Hackett for the seat, who later withdrew from the race in favor of Sherrod Brown
's candidacy.
. In a post on the well-known progressive blog
DailyKos, he said: "When I vote for a President I want certain qualities. I want passion, I want conviction and I want clarity. Today I endorse Chris Dodd because he has all three." After Dodd withdrew from the race, Ryan endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
(D-NY) on April 19, saying that under her administration "people in the seventeenth district of Ohio would enjoy a return to strong economic growth, millions of jobs being created and a rise in wages.".
, a former Democratic U.S. Congressman whom Ryan succeeded, and Green Party nominee Elaine Mastromatteo.
|+ AL= At-large : Results 2002–2010
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Other
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|2002
|
| |
| align="right" |94,441
| |51%
|
| |
| align="right" |62,188
| |34%
|
| |James A. Traficant, Jr.
| |Independent
| align="right" |28,045
| align="right" |15%
|
|-
|2004
|
| |Timothy J. Ryan
| align="right" |212,800
| |77%
|
| |
| align="right" |62,871
| |23%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2006
|
| |Timothy J. Ryan
| align="right" |170,369
| |80%
|
| |Don Manning II
| align="right" |41,925
| |20%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2008
|
| |Timothy J. Ryan
| align="right" | 204,028
| | 78%
|
| |Duane Grassell
| align="right" | 56,003
| | 22%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2010
|
| |
| align="right" |100,295
| |53.7%
|
| |
| align="right" |56,441
| |30.2%
|
| |James A. Traficant, Jr.
| |Independent
| align="right" |29,969
| align="right" |16.1%
|
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He previously served in the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
.
Early life, education and career
Tim Ryan was born in Niles, OhioNiles, Ohio
Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 20,932 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School (Warren, Ohio)
John F. Kennedy High School is a private, Catholic high school in Warren, Ohio. It is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown. The school teams are known as the Eagles...
in Warren
Warren, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,832 people, 19,288 households and 12,035 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,912.4 people per square mile . There were 21,279 housing units at an average density of 1,322.9 per square mile...
, where he played football as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
in 1995 and was a member of Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
fraternity. In 2000, he earned a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center
Franklin Pierce Law Center
The University of New Hampshire School of Law, formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center, is an American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Concord, New Hampshire. It is the only law school in the state. It was founded in 1973 by Robert H...
in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
.
Ryan served on the staff of controversial U.S. Representative Jim Traficant
James Traficant
James Anthony Traficant, Jr. is a former Democratic Representative in the United States Congress from Ohio . He represented the 17th Congressional District, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley...
(D-Ohio) in the mid-1990s. From 2000 to 2002 he served a term in the Ohio State Senate.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed ServicesUnited States House Committee on Armed Servicesthumb|United States House Committee on Armed Services emblemThe U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives...
- Subcommittee on ReadinessUnited States House Armed Services Subcommittee on ReadinessHouse Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:The Readiness Subcommittee exercises oversight and legislative jurisdiction over:...
- Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Readiness
- Committee on the BudgetUnited States House Committee on the BudgetThe U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
Caucus memberships
- Co-chair of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus
- Congressional Pro-Life Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Sportsmen's Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Political positions
Ryan is a member of the "30 Something" Working Group30 Something Working Group
The "30 Something" Working Group is composed of ten members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic caucus, some of whom are under the age of forty...
, which is a Congressional caucus
Congressional caucus
A congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meets to pursue common legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations through the United States House of Representatives and governed under the rules of that chamber...
that includes those members of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
who are Democrats and have not yet reached the age of 40. It was organized by the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
to energize and engage younger people in politics by focusing on issues that are important to them.
Ryan voted for the Stupak Amendment restricting federal funding for abortions. In March 2010, he stated that he will vote "Yes" on the Senate version of the Health Care bill lacking Stupak Amendment language.
Before the 2004 presidential election, Ryan spoke on the House floor in an impassioned speech denouncing the Bush administration's denial of a draft reinstatement, comparing this to the administration's previous claims that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, the Bush tax cuts
Bush tax cuts
The Bush tax cuts refers to changes to the United States tax code passed during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama that generally lowered tax rates and revised the code specifying taxation in the United States...
would create jobs, and other such claims. He repeated in September 2006 with an equally-heated speech criticizing what he felt to be the Bush administration's tendency to distract the public from key issues like the war in Iraq and the economy.
In 2010, Ryan introduced the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act 2010
The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act 2010 was a bill by the Congress of the United States that sought punitive trade tariffs on countries that have perceived unfair competitive advantaged by such measures as currency manipulation....
, 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
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...
, 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".
2002
After Jim Traficant was convicted on criminal charges in 2002, Ryan declared his candidacy for the Congressional seat of his home district.As the result of redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
following the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, the 17th, which had long been based in Youngstown, now included portions of Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
and Portage County
Portage County, Ohio
Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 152,061 at the 2000 Census and 161,419 at the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers...
. Before the redistricting, all of Akron had been part of the 14th District, represented by eight-term Democrat Tom Sawyer
Thomas C. Sawyer
Thomas Charles Sawyer, usually known as Tom Sawyer, is a Democratic member of the Ohio Senate, who has represented the 28th District since his appointment in February 2007. He served as a U.S. representative from Ohio from 1987 to 2003.- Career :...
. The 14th had been eliminated in the year 2000 redistricting; most of it was drawn into the 13th District of fellow Democrat Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell Brown is the senior United States Senator from Ohio and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2007...
, but Sawyer's home was drawn into the 17th. In the 2002 Democratic primary, Ryan defeated Sawyer, who was seen as insufficiently labor-friendly in the newly-drawn district. Traficant ran as an independent in the race from his prison cell.
Ryan easily won the general election in November 2002. When he took office in January 2003, he was the youngest Democrat in the House, at 29 years of age.
2004
Ryan was reelected. On January 13, 2005 the Federal Election Commission made public a campaign finance compliance case involving Tim Ryan, the Tim Ryan for Congress committee, Dennis Rossi, Second National Bank, and the Mahoning County Democratic Party. In a "Conciliation Agreement" Tim Ryan as an individual and his campaign committee were assessed a $6,000 civil penalty as "the Commission found that Mr. Ryan accepted an excessive contribution in the form of a ($50,000) cosigned bank loan." In a separate "Conciliation Agreement" Rossi was assessed a $4,000 civil penalty for "excessive contribution; exceeding the annual $25,000 contribution limit".2006
Early in the race, Ryan was strongly courted by national Democrats to run against Mike DeWineMike DeWine
Richard Michael "Mike" DeWine is the Attorney General for the state of Ohio. He has held numerous offices on the state and federal level, including Ohio State Senator, four terms as a U.S. Congressman, Ohio Lt. Governor, and was a two-term U.S. Senator, serving from 1995 to 2007.- Biography :Born...
for Senate in 2006 but he declined. He endorsed Paul Hackett for the seat, who later withdrew from the race in favor of Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell Brown is the senior United States Senator from Ohio and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2007...
's candidacy.
2008
On October 4, 2007, Ryan announced his endorsement of U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) in the race for the Democratic nomination for PresidentDemocratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
The 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
. In a post on the well-known progressive blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
DailyKos, he said: "When I vote for a President I want certain qualities. I want passion, I want conviction and I want clarity. Today I endorse Chris Dodd because he has all three." After Dodd withdrew from the race, Ryan endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
(D-NY) on April 19, saying that under her administration "people in the seventeenth district of Ohio would enjoy a return to strong economic growth, millions of jobs being created and a rise in wages.".
2010
Ryan was challenged by Republican Jim Graham, Independent James TraficantJames Traficant
James Anthony Traficant, Jr. is a former Democratic Representative in the United States Congress from Ohio . He represented the 17th Congressional District, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley...
, a former Democratic U.S. Congressman whom Ryan succeeded, and Green Party nominee Elaine Mastromatteo.
Electoral history
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"|+ AL= At-large : Results 2002–2010
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Other
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|2002
|
| |
| align="right" |94,441
| |51%
|
| |
| align="right" |62,188
| |34%
|
| |James A. Traficant, Jr.
| |Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
| align="right" |28,045
| align="right" |15%
|
|-
|2004
|
| |Timothy J. Ryan
| align="right" |212,800
| |77%
|
| |
| align="right" |62,871
| |23%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2006
|
| |Timothy J. Ryan
| align="right" |170,369
| |80%
|
| |Don Manning II
| align="right" |41,925
| |20%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2008
|
| |Timothy J. Ryan
| align="right" | 204,028
| | 78%
|
| |Duane Grassell
| align="right" | 56,003
| | 22%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2010
United States House of Representatives elections, 2010
The 2010 United States House of Representatives elections, also known as the 2010 midterm elections, were held on November 2, 2010, at the midpoint of President Barack Obama's first term in office. Voters of the 50 U.S. states chose 435 U.S. Representatives. Voters of the U.S...
|
| |
| align="right" |100,295
| |53.7%
|
| |
| align="right" |56,441
| |30.2%
|
| |James A. Traficant, Jr.
| |Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
| align="right" |29,969
| align="right" |16.1%
|
See also
- Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 17th District
- List of United States Representatives from Ohio
- 30 Something Working Group30 Something Working GroupThe "30 Something" Working Group is composed of ten members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic caucus, some of whom are under the age of forty...
External links
- Congressman Tim Ryan official U.S. House site
- Tim Ryan for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...