An elected Democratic official in Ohio penned an op-ed Friday calling Democratic senatorial candidate Tim Ryan “a fraud.”
The op-ed, published within the Cincinnati Enquirer, was written by Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes “a proud, lifelong Democrat” who holds elected office within the state.
Within the essay, Rhodes accuses Ryan of being a “fraud” and urges all voters – Democrats, Republicans and otherwise – to not vote for him.
“It’s because I really like my state a lot that I’m sounding the alarm about my very own party’s nominee for U.S. Senate,” the op-ed reads. “Tim Ryan is a fraud who should be defeated. It doesn’t matter for those who’re a Republican, an independent or a Democrat like me − Ryan doesn’t deserve your vote.”
Ryan currently represents the Buckeye State’s thirteenth Congressional District within the House and is trying to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman. He has attempted to distance himself from party leaders and portray himself as a moderate within the Ohio Senate race against JD Vance, his Republican challenger.
Rhodes rebuffed any claims of Ryan being independent in his public service, saying the lawmaker is “100% lockstep” with Democratic Party leaders.
“Here’s the reality: Tim Ryan isn’t who he says he’s. He votes in 100% lockstep with Pelosi and Biden in Congress. At every opportunity, he follows the orders of the D.C. establishment. That’s the trail of least resistance that far too lots of our ‘leaders’ fall into − all of us deserve higher.”
The op-ed went on to pivot toward the Democratic Party as an entire, criticizing each House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Biden alongside “far too many other Democrats.”
“Ryan, like Pelosi, Biden, and much too many other Democrats, have made themselves willing tools of the far-left fringe that’s giving my party a nasty name. Their politics may represent the coastal elite and plenty of liberal cities, but they don’t represent Ohio.”
Ryan will face off against Vance, within the Ohio Senate election on Nov. 8.