Candidate Comparison:

Ohio Senate

Tim-Ryan

Tim Ryan (D)

Vance

JD Vance (R)

Wages

Ryan has consistently supported raising the minimum wage to $15, and in 2021 he co-sponsored the Raise the Wage Act. He also voted to make stronger equal pay laws with more protections for workers. [1]	Vance said that raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour might force employers to lay people off. But studies show the opposite: that a $15 minimum wage supported with government relief would actually benefit small and medium-sized businesses in the long run. [2]

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Ryan has voted for paid leave programs again and again. In the past session, he voted for no fewer than three acts which would support workers as well as expand paid sick days and family and medical leave.	Vance ignores working women from his campaign speeches and policies, encouraging “fathers to step up” and provide the single income for families. Like his supporters in Congress who voted against family-friendly supports like universal pre-K and child tax credits, Vance has called universal day care a “class war against normal people.” However, normal people, including women, would benefit from expanded childcare, which helps working families by allowing more women to stay in the work force and reducing childcare costs for struggling families. [6]
Ryan is a cosponsor of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act—which would provide 12 weeks of paid leave—and the Healthy Families Act, which provides one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. [3]

Helping Essential Workers

Ryan fought for Ohioans by bringing American Rescue Plan Act, bringing over $5 million in funding to the state.	Vance campaigned with members of Congress who voted against bringing COVID relief to American families, workers and businesses. He has aligned himself with members of Congress who have actively voted against supports including paid family leave. [6]
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan has frontline workers, fighting for new supports for workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ryan introduced an amendment to provide $50 million in grants to grocery workers to reimburse them for money spent on PPE during the pandemic. The amendment was adopted. [5]

Health Care

Ryan is a strong supporter of expanding health care coverage. He has fought against multiple efforts to reduce coverage for Americans. He has fought to ensure individuals with pre-existing conditions can continue to keep their coverage, and he has voted to keep medical costs in check. [7]	Vance has been indecisive about what health care coverage he supports. He has opposed repealing the Affordable Care Act, but days before the primary election said that he wanted to “repeal and replace” it, yet he has offered no alternative plan. [8]

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

Ryan has proposed tax breaks for working families, especially as gas prices and inflation are on the rise. He proposed suspending the federal gas tax and called for cutting taxes for working families permanently due to high inflation. Ryan also called for making the Child Tax Credit, which has proven to keep millions of children out of poverty by providing monthly payments in tax relief to working families. [9]	While frequently criticizing Democrats for inflation, Vance has not made any policy proposals to address rising costs.

Unions & Labor

Ryan has been consistent in supporting workers’ rights to organize. He voted for the PRO Acts of 2019 and 2021, which would protect workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain. Ryan was also the first Ohio Senate candidate to ratify a union contract with his staff that included $25 per hour pay, unlimited personal time off, and 100% employer covered health care.	While Vance has claimed that Ohio workers haven’t fared better or worse than workers in Wisconsin – a right-to-work state. However, a study from the Economic Policy Institute showed that it is right-to-work states that don’t fare better; with lower wages, worse health insurance coverage, and less retirement security. [11]
Additionally, Ryan has been endorsed by multiple unions, most notable including the Ohio UFCW and AFL-CIO. [10]

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