After receiving an endorsement from Senator Sherrod Brown in the race for U.S. Senate, Congressman Tim Ryan hit the campaign trail making one of his first stops in Youngstown.

Ryan's plan is to focus on putting workers on the forefront of his agenda and correcting imbalances of the economic system. 


"The senate is fifty-fity. CEO pay going up 1,300 percent, worker pay going up 18 percent, you know, there needs to be action on behalf of those workers," said Ryan. "I think, you know, there's a sense of urgency like we can't keep going like this," he said.


Senator Sherrod Brown tells me he believes Ryan is the candidate with the best shot at flipping the seat, currently held by Republican Rob Portman.


"He'll be the first senator maybe ever from the Mahoning Valley, and I believe ever, at least in my memory," said Brown. "The reason he wins here is because he puts workers at the center of his agenda. You make that fight statewide, you win this election," he said.


Bringing the win home as a Democratic candidate may pose a challenge for Ryan in a primarily red state.


"This is a, you know, a huge challenge, it's Ohio. It's a challenge for both sides, you've gotta go out there and you've gotta earn people's votes," said Ryan. "I think there's a lot who look at the candidate in Ohio and are perfectly comfortable going back and forth between the two parties and when they hear my message, learn about my record, we're gonna get their votes and we're gonna win," he said.


Ryan says his next steps are to continue campaigning through small towns in the state so no one feels forgotten.