Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) has raised nearly $2.3 million since launching his Senate bid in April, his campaign announced Thursday.
Ryan, a former presidential candidate who has represented a swath of northeastern Ohio for nearly 20 years, pulled in $2.28 million in the second quarter. He will report having nearly $2.6 million in cash on hand when his campaign files with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) next week.
The vast majority of contributions to Ryan’s Senate campaign — 96 percent — were under $100, and the average donation was $27.
“Tim Ryan’s historic fundraising is just one way that he’s shown he’s ready to flip Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat and give Ohio the most pro-worker Senate delegation in the country,” Izzy Levy, a spokesperson for the campaign, said in a statement.
“From now through next November, Tim will continue to unify Ohioans and build grassroots power with his relentless focus on the working people of this state,” Levy said.
Ryan is the only Democrat so far to announce a bid to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) next year.
Meanwhile, the Republican primary field has grown crowded, with author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance becoming the latest contender to enter the race for the nomination.
Other top Republican contenders include former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, investment banker Mike Gibbons and businessman Bernie Moreno.
Ohio has lurched to the right in recent years as many longtime Democratic voters have moved away from the party and its candidates. Former President Trump carried the state in 2020 by 8 points, and there is currently only one statewide elected Democrat in office, Sen. Sherrod Brown.
But Democrats are hoping that Portman’s retirement, a chaotic Republican primary and Ryan’s emphasis on labor issues will put the state in play in 2022. Republicans need to gain only one seat in the Senate to recapture the majority, making Ohio an even more tempting target for Democrats.