Progressive activist to challenge Tim Ryan in Ohio Senate primary

Progressive activist Morgan Harper is jumping into the Democratic Senate primary in Ohio, putting up a challenge to the presumptive front-runner, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). 

“I’m Morgan Harper and I’m running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat for Ohio to offer a new voice, a voice from and for the people,” Harper says in an announcement video released on Wednesday.

Harper, a former lawyer for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) in a 2020 primary race with the support of Justice Democrats, a progressive group that has backed several liberal challengers to Democratic incumbents in recent years.

Since then, she’s remained active in Ohio politics, backing progressive Nina Turner in a special election for a Cleveland-area House seat. Turner lost the Democratic primary for that seat to Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairwoman Shontel Brown earlier this month. 

Ryan, who sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination but dropped out of the race months before the Iowa caucuses, has emerged as the leading Democrat in the Ohio Senate race since launching his campaign in April. 

He pulled in more than $2 million for his Senate bid in the second quarter of the year and transferred another $1 million from his House campaign account. 

Meanwhile, a crowded field of Republicans is vying for former President Trump’s support in the GOP primary as the party looks to hold down the Ohio Senate seat. Its current occupant, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), announced earlier this year that he will not seek reelection.