Tim Ryan to spend over $3 million to help down-ballot Ohio Democrats

Rep. Tim Ryan’s (D-Ohio) Senate campaign on Tuesday said it plans to invest more than $3 million to support down-ballot Ohio Democrats this year. 

“This investment is a critical step toward building a strong Democratic Party and a robust coordinated campaign that’s ready to not only flip Ohio’s open Senate seat but also carry pro-worker candidates up and down the ballot to a win in November,” Ryan campaign spokesperson Izzi Levy said in a statement. 

In addition to the financial investment, Ryan’s campaign will also help down-ballot candidates by using a “broad-reaching email list” and coordinating with campaigns on digital fundraising. Ryan is already seen as a fundraising force in the Buckeye State, raising $7.4 million for his campaign so far this cycle. 

The move is a sign that Ryan, the front-runner in the state’s Democratic Senate primary, is looking beyond the intraparty contest in May, in which he is set to take on Morgan Harper, Traci Johnson and LaShondra Tinsley.

A poll from Emerson College and The Hill released late last month showed Ryan leading the field with 31 percent support, while Johnson and Tinsley both trailed at 5 percent support each. Harper garnered 4 percent support. A majority of voters said they were undecided. 

The race to replace the retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) could play a major role in determining the balance of power in the upper chamber. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Republican.” 

Five Republicans — businessman Mike Gibbons, former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, author and businessman J.D. Vance, former state GOP Chair Jane Timken and state Sen. Matt Dolan — are vying for the GOP nomination.