Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan questions why the national party hasn't invested in his race, says they 'have been known not to make very good strategic decisions'

Tim Ryan has run one of the Democratic Party's strongest Senate campaigns in the past, breaking through with enough voters in Republican-trending Ohio to keep the race competitive against GOP nominee.

Ryan, a ten-term congressman from the Mahoning Valley, has run a deeply populist campaign, traveling to diners and union halls across the state and preaching against unfettered free trade to try to replicate a coalition of working-class voters that used to boost Democratic candidates in the one time perennial Midwestern Democrats were relieved that he didn't give any terrain to Republicans.

Despite polls showing a tight contest between Ryan and Vance, national Democrats have largely spared investing large amounts of money into the Ohio Senate race, which has prompted Ryan to call out what he sees as a shortsighted strategy in fighting for a seat that could be within reach for the party.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Ryan criticized the electoral strategy that national Democrats have pursed as they have struggled to win Senate races in states where they were once competitive. The 48 members of the Democratic caucus have two independents caucusing with them.

Ryan told The Post that the Democrats have not made good decisions in the past. The rank-and-file Democrats are frustrated that the leadership doesn't understand where they want the party to go.

Democrats are defending their fragile Senate majority, which was made possible by two Senate victories in Georgia in January 2021. When the party in power usually loses seats, and President Joe Biden's poor standing in Ohio has been of no help to Ryan, they are trying to win.

Biden's job approval rating in the state stood at 42%, with over half of respondents disapproving.

The same survey showed that Ryan was narrowly ahead of Vance.

AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File

Despite Ryan's competitiveness, parties generally have to prioritize races where they have the best chance of winning with a finite amount of funding, and in Ohio, where Democrats not named Sherrod Brown have generally not performed well in recent years, the party's nominee finds himself in an difficult place

Ryan said that his campaign shows that Democrats can win back working-class voters who have largely abandoned the party, as many of them backed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 before voting for Donald Trump. They both won Ohio in the general election.

Ryan questioned why Democratic Party leaders wouldn't smell blood in taking down a former venture capitalist who wrote a best seller.

The congressman said they have 350,000 donors. The people are frustrated.

According to The Post, Senate Majority PAC has not contributed to the Ohio race.

According to the newspaper, other organizations have spent a million dollars on the congressman.

More than $30 million has been spent by Republican groups to improve the situation.

The race is being watched by Democratic groups.

In a statement to The Post, the president of Senate Majority PAC said that Ryan is running a strong campaign and that the group could still change its spending plans.

He told the newspaper that they were going to continue making strategic, effective decisions that put them in the best position to defend their majority.