The crowded field of Democratic candidates vying for the chance to take on President Donald Trump just got a little smaller as U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, who represents Ohio's 13th Congressional District around Akron and Youngstown, bowed out of the race today.
In a statement, Ryan said his seven-month campaign accomplished what he intended it to, though the moderate Democrat never made it out of single-digits in a race dominated by former Vice President Joe Biden and left-leaning U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
“I got into this race in April to really give voice to the forgotten people of our country: the workers who have been left behind, the businesses who have been left behind, the people who need health care or aren’t getting a quality education or are saddled by tremendous debt," Ryan said in the statement. "I'm proud of this campaign because I believe we’ve done that."
After drops in fundraising performance and polling, Ryan didn't qualify for the last two Democratic Party debates. His campaign had just $160,000 on hand as of his last campaign finance report, and at least two of his high-level campaign staff members departed the campaign this fall.
Ryan says he will now focus on winning re-election in his district, which he has represented since 2013.
There are now 18 contenders remaining in the Democratic Party's presidential primary.
