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Ryan coasts to easy win

Joyce holds onto 14th

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, left, and his wife Andrea, watch results as they come in Tuesday evening at the Democrat Headquarters...by R. Michael Semple

WARREN — U.S. Rep. Timothy J. Ryan retained his seat in the 13th District, winning votes over Republican challenger Christopher DePizzo in most of the counties he will represent for a ninth term. Ryan won 61 percent of the vote, leaving DePizzo with 39 percent, according to incomplete and unofficial results provided by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. Ryan won with at least 60 percent of the votes in Mahoning and Summit counties, but the race was closer in Stark County, where DePizzo inched over Ryan with a little more than 50 percent of the vote. Only a small portion of the district is in Stark County — it made up about 7,500 votes — compared to about 67,000 total votes cast in both Trumbull and Mahoning counties. In Trumbull County, Ryan won 58 percent of the vote to DePizzo’s 42 percent, according to incomplete and unofficial results provided by the Trumbull County Board of Elections. In Portage County, Ryan took about 59 percent of the vote. Ryan, 45, Howland, argued his experience and position on certain committees in the U.S. House of Representatives help bring money home to the district. While DePizzo, 31, a Cuyahoga Falls attorney, argued it was time for a change. The race brought out a conversation about long-term economic goals for the district, Ryan said. “It was a good campaign, it gave us a chance to talk about really important things and longterm economic development that is starting to come online,” said Ryan, who debated DePizzo last week in an event sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle. Some of the things Ryan has helped get funding for, like the energy incubator in downtown Warren, are starting to take root, and Ryan said voters recognized that. “It is starting to grow and there is an awareness of what is happening in Warren and the incubator,” Ryan said. “In the coming years, there will be more growth and the companies will hire more people and we will get even more momentum.” DePizzo struggled to raise money in the district, a Democratic stronghold represented by James Traficant before Ryan took the seat in 2002. DePizzo raised $83,596 over the course of the election cycle, to Ryan’s $1.471 million, according to the Federal Election Commission. Ryan is the highest- ranking Democrat on the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, one of 12 divisions of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, which controls U.S. Treasury spending. He is also a ranking member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee and the Defense Subcommittee. Ryan was 29 when he first was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. Before that, he served as a state senator from 2001-02. He studied political science at Bowling Green State University and law at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. He has never lost an election. Monitoring nationwide election results as they came in, Ryan said he didn’t want to speculate what his next move might be, though it appears as if the Democrats have won a majority in the House. His name has been floated as a possible contender against Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House. In the 14th District, U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, kept his seat despite a bid by Democrat Betsy Rader of Russell. Joyce took in 56 percent percent of the vote to Rader’s 44 percent. “Listening and doing what is right has been my driving force. I am looking forward to going back to work protecting the Great Lakes and will continue to focus on growing our jobs and the economy. Truly humbled by the support from everyone across the district,” Joyce said. The 14th District includes northern Trumbull County, all of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula, and parts of Summit, Portage and Cuyahoga counties. The term for both seats is two years.

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