Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan to run for open Ohio Senate seat, report

Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan reportedly plans to run for the Ohio Senate seat being left open by the retirement of GOP Sen. Rob Portman. 

Ryan's bid was reported by the New York Times based on Democrats who've spoken with the nine-term congressman.

Portman announced his retirement last week. 

The competition for the seat in the 2022 election cycle is expected to draw a sizable field of qualified candidates — in a long-time battleground state that in recent years has leaned red, having voted for Donald Trump as president in 2016 and 2020.

Last week, Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan said he would not seek the open seat, which is expected to clear a path for others considering a run. 

Ryan made a brief and unsuccessful run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. And in 2016 he mounted a failed bid to challenge Rep. Nancy Pelosi for her post as the House's top Democrat, arguing she and fellow Democrats lost control of the chamber because they had lost touch with working-class voters.

Ryan, from the blue-collar Youngstown region, appears to have the support of former state Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to the New York Times.