Another Unknown Candidate Drops Out Of Presidential Race
We won't have whats-his-name to kick around anymore.
Congressman Tim Ryan, whose campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination languished in anonymity, has dropped out of the race:
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, ended his long-shot presidential campaign after months of struggling to find a footing in the crowded Democratic field.
Ryan announced his decision to end his campaign in a video to supporters, stating he would run again for his House seat. He isn’t throwing his support behind anyone in the 2020 field at this time, his campaign told NBC.
“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 video. “I’m proud of this campaign because I believe we’ve done that. We’ve given voice to the forgotten communities and the forgotten people in the United States.”
The Ohio congressman focused his candidacy on tackling the economic issues facing the middle of the country, launching his presidential candidacy on a promise to “re-empower workers and revive the American middle class.” Ryan sought to bring his Rust Belt sensibilities to the Democratic primary field, representing an area that flipped from supporting President Barack Obama in 2012 to Donald Trump in 2016.
Ryan, 46, first came to national prominence when he challenged then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for the party’s top leadership position in 2016. He lost in a 134-63 vote.
Here’s Ryan’s tweet:
Ryan qualified for and appeared in both of the first two Presidential debates but failed to make any significant impact, something reflected in his continued sub-par poll performance and low fundraising numbers. He failed, however, to qualify for the third or fourth debates and was clearly not going to qualify for the fifth debate in November. Given this, getting out of the race is the right move on his part.
In related news, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, who has also languished in anonymity and failed to qualify for recent and future debates, had a dire announcement the other day:
Presidential candidate Julián Castro said on Monday that he will have to drop out of the Democratic primary if his campaign doesn’t raise $800,000 in the next 10 days.
In an email to supporters, Castro said he will not have the resources to continue campaigning if he can’t raise the funds by the end of October.
“The truth is, for our campaign, these debates have offered our only guaranteed opportunity to share my vision with the American people. If I can’t make the next debate stage, we cannot sustain a campaign that can make it to Iowa in February,” Castro said in the email. “My presidential campaign is in dire need of financial resources to keep going.”
The campaign needs the funds to be able to continue operating and to have a shot at securing a spot at the November Democratic debate.
Castro’s campaign has very little cash on hand compared to most of his competition, according to the most recent FEC filings. His campaign, which raised $3,495,406 and spent $3,960,970.81 last quarter, had $672,333 on hand as of the end of September
Castro is obviously not going to be the nominee and will most likely not make the next debate or any of those thereafter. He would be wise to follow Ryan out the door.
…who?! Never heard of the guy.
@grumpy realist: I’ve heard of him, but either I totally forgot he was ever in the mix, or I didn’t know he was in it the first place.
https://youtu.be/rY0WxgSXdEE
We can use about 12 or 13 more of these announcements.
Listened to Ryan be interviewed a while back and was impressed by him.
Having said that…a lot more have to drop out, and soon.
Name recognition is key to be sure, but if the messages of the Tim Ryans and others really resonated with the population, it seems to me that recognition would follow. The government that we get is, truly, a reflection of the society we are. Sad, but true.
He didn’t give a voice to anyone, including himself.
I would have a lot of respect for someone who said “We tried, but I didn’t get traction. We have a lot of good candidates, although not as good as me, and I encourage my supporters to look at some of the others who are on the cusp of breaking through. No, dad, don’t vote for Bernie, or at least just don’t tell me.”
A lot of people are waiting for Biden to stumble and fall. If it happens, it changes the race, and lots of people will get a chance to be media darling of the month and see if they can parley that into more.
Biden is a weak front runner, and lots of folks don’t fit the Warren-Bernie wing of the party (and the area next to the party). If I were advising anyone, I would be telling them to hang in as long as they can, so long as they aren’t passing up other opportunities.
Now, Harris keeps getting a chance and not hanging onto it. She should either shake up her campaign and messaging, or consider leaving — she has a lot of natural talent, a lot of money and isn’t doing awesome. I’m not sure there’s a big prize for doing “ok” but not winning.
@Just nutha ignint cracker: Name recognition and the ability to work the media.
Buttigieg shows that you don’t need to start with name recognition. (And for a mayor in a red state, there probably is a pretty big prize to doing “ok” but not winning)
That’s just the problem. Any candidate who is with the middle class working, people, has common sense, centrist ideas, and supports traditional American values is now out with the Democratic party. And gets no attention from the main stream “news”.
Johnson, Truman, Humphrey, Carter, and Connally would not be allowed in today’s Democratic party.
@Tyrell:
Probably pointless, but I’m calling you on this one, T. Can you give me an example of what you consider a “centrist idea”?
@Tyrell: Truman, Humphrey, Carter, and Connally, would be most welcome in today’s DEM party, it’s you with your fake “centrism” that isn’t.
Johnson, responsible for the unnecessary deaths of thousands of young American men and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese might be problematic even with his very DEM domestic policies.
@Tyrell: And do you think any of those you named would be welcome in the Republican party?
1. Johnson: signed the CRA and the VRA, often accused of being “soft on communism,” accused by Republicans of refusing to “win” in Vietnam.
2. Truman: supported “socialized medicine” and accused by GOP of “losing China” and having hundreds of communists in his administration.
3.Humphrey: again, “socialized medicine” and his speech at the 1948 Democratic convention caused the Dixiecrat walkout.
4.Carter: vilified to this day by Republicans as a “loser.”
5. Connally: basically a Dixiecrat who later joined the GOP and STILL couldn’t get traction.
People handing over money so you can fly around, stay in top hotels and feed your ego by making speeches. Running for President sounds like a good gig.
@Bruce Henry: anyway what’s so surprising if the Democratic party positions changed over 70 years. The Republican party has changed over 40 years. When Reagan was President the Republican foreign-policy opposed giving Russia victories.
Castro wants open borders but doesn’t know what he’d do if a shipload of 10,000 well-nourished Chinese males landed and they wanted to walk in. Beto wants to seize guns and denounces 99% of churches and wants to tax them as punishment. Gabbard has been denounced as a Russian tool by none other than HERself. Biden is approaching senility, Warren and Sanders owe allegiance to Socialism but can’t decide if they prefer the International kind or the National kind.
You Democrats ought to demand “none of the above”, hold your nose and vote Trump. LOL!
@john430:
I take it you haven’t been following the (corrected) news on this…?
@john430:
How well-nourished are these 10,000 Chinese males? Are we talking buff or fat? Where is your fantasy going with this?
@john430: … Why should I respond with more? It’s about all you said.
@Gustopher: I had Chinese soldiers in mind. I don’t want to know your peculiar fantasies.