WOOSTER – Hydraulic pump, engine and mechanical parts manufacturer Wooster Hydrostatics hosted U.S. Senate candidate and Congressman Tim Ryan Monday morning for a private meeting with some company leadership.
It was the Democratic hopeful's first campaign stop in Wayne County and the first of the day before he left for another manufacturing-focused visit in Bucyrus.
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"We're trying to get to all 88 counties in Ohio, and they're all on our radar," Ryan said after the meeting.
Among his chief concerns are domestic manufacturing and China, which he views as the nation's primary adversary and the cause of so many lost factory jobs.
"We need to rethink manufacturing to out-compete China," Ryan said. He views the U.S. relationship with China as "an ongoing economic war" that has been waged for "30 to 40 years."
"This Russia-Chinese partnership is meant to displace the U.S. in the world," he said.
For Ryan, the solution is to put aside partisan differences and invest in, develop and bring jobs back to the manufacturing sector, he said.
This means supporting laws like the Competes Act, which would fund manufacturing research and development, and other laws that invest in infrastructure.
"While we're arguing between ourselves, China has a long-term plan, and that's what we need to do," he said.
But those within his own party criticized this rhetoric.
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In his first television ad, which said, "it's us versus China," advocates and lawmakers stated that it fuels anti-Asian sentiment, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
"To be an inclusive party, Democrats must not incite hate or fear just to whip up their base," said Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of the AAPI Victory Fund. "That’s what the Trump Republicans do and why we fight them everywhere."
Ryan has condemned hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and said the campaign ad was directed toward the Chinese government.
He is running against Morgan Harper and Traci Johnson in the Democratic primary for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat that was left vacant by retiring Rob Portman.
Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com
On Twitter: @Bryce_Buyakie
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: From manufacturing to China, Senate candidate Tim Ryan visits Wooster