With U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in the political fight of his life, he was able to do something he’s struggled to do his entire time in Congress: Raise a respectable amount of money when it was desperately needed.
Ryan, D-Howland, received a remarkable $584,186 between Oct. 1 and Nov. 3 in a race he won by 7.55 percent against Republican Christina Hagan of Marlboro Township for the 13th Congressional District seat.
Other members of Congress raised even more money, but it’s been Ryan’s Achilles’ heel his entire political career, which started two decades ago.
It’s stunning to see the amount he raised in little more than a month when you consider his congressional campaign picked up only $73,139 in contributions between April and September 2019. At the time, Ryan was concentrating on his quixotic presidential bid — an effort that raised very little money compared to others seeking that office.