Since Jan. 25, when U.S. Sen. Rob Portman announced he wouldn’t seek re-election next year, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan has focused on succeeding him. In mid-November, shortly after winning his 10th two-year House term, Ryan, D-Howland, told me he had no intention of leaving that position unless redrawing of congressional lines for 2022 gave him an unfavorable district or forced him to run against a Republican incumbent. He and I both knew Ohio would lose a congressional seat. Hours after Ryan’s Senate announcement Monday, it became official that, in all likelihood, it would be his district — or at least the redrawing would make his current district a lot less favorable for a Democrat as the Mahoning Valley and surrounding areas have become more Republican.