Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan considers union halls his second home. So it was fitting that he started a long day of campaigning by chatting with apprentice carpenters at a union training facility near Columbus.

“Where are you working?” Ryan asked one of his trainees. The congressman lit up when the answer was about Athens school. “That’s Joe Burrow country!”

Burrow, the star quarterback for the Super Bowl-bound Cincinnati Bengals was born about an hour from the union hall.

Ryan, the Democratic leading candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state, seemed happy to allow the conversation to veer between jobs and football. It was a good thing for the workers too.

GOP Sen. GOP Sen. There is a lot of jockeying for endorsements from Trump, and there’s a large field of GOP hopefuls.

“Where are you working?” Ryan asked one of his trainees. The congressman lit up when the answer was about Athens school. “That’s Joe Burrow country!”

Burrow, the star quarterback for the Super Bowl-bound Cincinnati Bengals was born about an hour from the union hall.

Ryan, the Democratic leading candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state, seemed happy to allow the conversation to veer between jobs and football. It was a good thing for the workers too.

GOP Sen. GOP Sen. There are many candidates for the GOP, and there is a lot of jockeying for endorsements from Trump.

Ryan, on the Democratic side is running an aggressive, statewide campaign with the urgency that makes Election Day feel close.

He kept his pitch focussed on a recent swing through central and south Ohio, wrapping up in small Ohio towns that were overwhelmingly voted for Trump. Ryan tells voters about his childhood in Ohio’s steel region and says he can understand the economic concerns people face in a state where manufacturing jobs have been lost for half a century. The United States needs to have a strong trade policy with China. Investing in communities in broadband, clean energies and skilled trades can help them compete again economically.

Jamel Kendrick (33), was one of the carpenter apprentices that met Ryan. Kendrick stated that he is an independent voter and has not been paying much attention to the Senate race.

He said, “It’s really been busy — all year — fighting for the pandemic and trying to stay health.”

At one point, he asked for Ryan’s name to be recited. Kendrick voted Democratic the last two presidential elections but gave Trump serious consideration for economic reasons.

Ryan agrees that jobs are the biggest issue. Kendrick stated, “Hopefully he can push some things forwards and keep us working.” “Keep us happy.”

Ryan needs voters like these. Ryan spends so much time talking to the American people about rebuilding their infrastructure. He supports the bipartisan bill and the Biden administration’s stalled Build back Better proposals. He also advocates for attracting investment into manufacturing and taking on China in trade. He says it’s a simple economic message, but one that Democrats don’t make often enough.

“Nobody comes to here”

Ryan makes it clear at all stops that he does not hesitate to challenge fellow Democrats when he disagrees. Ryan cites the unsuccessful challenge he made to Nancy Pelosi in 2016 for House Democrats’ leadership.

Don Crane, director for the carpenter’s union, stated that this is an important message for union members. “So when a person such as Congressman Ryan comes into the office wearing the Democrat badge it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a staunch liberal, a staunch leftist, or a socialist.” (Ryan also lost his bid for the presidency in 2020.

Ryan loves to talk about taking on members from his own party. He says it’s absurd to assume that every candidate must agree with you on all issues.

“Are you all married?” During a visit at Marietta’s county Democratic Party headquarters, he stated this. “If my wife and me have 10 conversations in one day, and we agree on six to seven of them, then we like to crack a bottle and celebrate our great marriage. We don’t think we will agree with the senator 100% of time, so why would we do that?

Ryan made five stops during this day, some of which took him more than an hour on snowy state roads. The schedule began shortly after sunrise and ended at 9 p.m. The CEO of an Ohio company that produces custom clay roof tiles gave a tour. The Chatterbox Tavern, in McConnelsville’s riverside town, was next for a late lunch and conversation. There was much discussion about how stretched the city services are and the lack of broadband internet in the county. Ryan visited the beautiful restored local opera house and noted that it was just what small-town workers who can now work remotely would love to live in, provided the infrastructure is there to support them.

Ryan spoke at one point about how people who work in Ohio are often left behind. Now 48, the candidate says he has heard it all his life.

He said, “We’ve seen a lot politicians and we’ve had many economic policy decisions made over the past 30-40 years that have destroyed the middle class.” “The trade agreements, the outsourcing, and then automation, all these things were ignored by everyone. Nobody cared.”

He claims that both political parties played a role in this. He says he can understand why Trump’s message appealed to so many people in Ohio. He also believes Trump was correct to declare that the North American Free Trade Agreement was bad for Ohio.

Ryan said to the crowd at Democratic Headquarters in Marietta that he didn’t agree on many things with Donald Trump. “But the renegotiation NAFTA, I supported.”

Heath Stevens, a 43 year-old heavy-equipment operator, stood in the back, listening and nodding as Ryan spoke. Stevens, a Democrat, said he believed Ryan’s message would be heard by his majority Republican coworkers.

He said, “It’s difficult for me to understand why some people wouldn’t vote for him.” But you know, some of the guys I work alongside will never hear his name or hear him speak to a crowd. This is because people live within their own political bubbles.

Ryan claims that Ryan is campaigning in Ohio everywhere, not just in Democratic strongholds. He wants to share his ideas and connect with the voters Stevens refers to.

“We must reach these communities. He said that these communities feel left behind in an interview with NPR. “I mean, I’ve heard it once, but a thousand times.” When he visits a community, people stop talking. It’s sad but they also say “Thank you for coming”. Nobody ever comes here. 

Ryan’s job-focused campaign has a template. A three-term Senator Sherrod Brown is a Democrat that has enjoyed continued success in Ohio despite the state’s recent redistribution.

Ryan stated, “Sherrod Brown in Ohio is an economic Democrat. So am I.”

Brown is a shining example of how Democrat can win Ohio. Ryan stated: “Strong support by unions, strong workers support, laser-like focus economics, financial issues, and then growth.

Trump easily wins a state

However, the recent political trends in Ohio are a real headwind for Democrats running for statewide office. Although Ohio was once a key battleground for presidential elections, Trump won it in two of the most recent elections.

There’s also the historical fact that midterm elections have been historically difficult for the party holding the White House. Low approval ratings for President Biden don’t help.

President Obama has stated that he is willing to run for Democrats in the election this year and argued for his policies. Ryan said he will not seek such assistance from Biden.

He said, “So I don’t need proxies.” “I don’t need anyone to support me.” He added, “It’s because I want Tim Ryan be the main messenger for this campaign.”

Ryan entered a coffeeshop near the Ohio River in Meigs County the next morning — a place Trump won by 3-1. By the time Ryan entered, a group of local Democrats were already there. It was all familiar: broadband, vocational training, attracting corporate investment.

Ryan spoke to residents who had just come in for breakfast. Ryan had a lengthy conversation with the woman sitting in the corner, who was carrying a baby in a car seat next to her. Lynsi McKinney is a mother to three boys and a stay-at home mom. NPR told her she enjoyed what Ryan had to say and that they mostly spoke about the economy, as well as the child tax credit.

Although she is a Republican, she said that she would vote for the right Democrat. She stated, “I will vote for whoever is going to do the right thing for my family and my friends.”

McKinney voted for Trump but stated that she didn’t like Trump’s obsession with 2020. McKinney also doesn’t believe that the election was stolen.

She said, “Going back and counting all the votes, it seems that everyone did their best to ensure that it was fair”

McKinney likes Trump, and would be happy to see him run for the presidency again. She said that she hasn’t yet been plugged in to the race for this year’s Senate elections. She doesn’t know who is running. She said she would be happy if Trump endorses her in the race.

It’s a Republican voter who has a positive impression of Ryan. It’s also a reminder about how difficult Ryan must work to win votes in Trump strongholds.