Democrats ought to assist Tim Ryan in Ohio more.

Many Democrats in the Buckeye State are asking the following issue with less than a week till election day, one that might follow their party far after November 8: Why did the federal party reject Ohio's request?

They are referring to the US Senate election, where the Democratic leadership has refrained from spending a lot of money despite having little choice but to support Representative Tim Ryan. The white working-class Mahoning Valley representative, who is serving his tenth term, has positioned himself as the kind of independent representative that Ohioans have traditionally sent to Washington. When compared to his Republican opponent, venture capitalist-turned-author J.D. Vance, he routinely polls within the error margin.

Perhaps the party is taking the position that, given the dire circumstances facing Democrats, it doesn't really matter how qualified a candidate is. Is that a wise wager though?

The justification for staying home in this election is that President Donald Trump won Ohio by an 8-point margin in both 2016 and 2020. Trump won 67% of White voters without a college degree, who make up more than half of the electorate in the state, in the 2016 presidential election. Mike DeWine, a Republican who was elected governor of the state in 2018, is comfortably ahead of his Democratic challenger. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat and US Senator, has served three terms, but he has a distinct personality.

Voters' main issue is the economy, with a majority (46%) stating they are concerned about inflation. With a 37% support rating, President Joe Biden is floundering in Ohio, and off-year elections typically favor the party that isn't in power.

According to Senator Chuck Schumer and national Democrats, their money would be better used in the 2022 and 2024 election battlegrounds. The party must back challengers like Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin and John Fetterman in Pennsylvania while also defending incumbent senators like Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Notably, former president Barack Obama's last week of the campaign tour does not include a stop in Ohio. (Trump is also notable.)

Therefore, the case for waiting it out in Ohio is overdetermined, as a psychiatrist might put it. Democrats in Ohio, however, can make a case for joining in.

According to seasoned Ohio operatives like David Pepper, the former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, a candidate like Ryan can overcome the odds. Ryan is delivering a populist economic message to the southern and eastern regions of the state, where Trump increased voter turnout and defeated Biden.

Ryan extols his victory over Nancy Pelosi in the battle for speaker of the House and boasts that he "voted with Trump on trade." His state citizenship is more important to him than his party membership, and he describes himself as an independent. Brown, John Glenn, and George Voinovich, among other Ohio senators, have all employed this strategy to good effect in the past.

In Ohio, Ryan has broken all previous fundraising records, raising approximately $50 million for his campaign, well exceeding Vance's total of just under $13 million. National Republicans have responded by substantially investing in the race, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and billionaire Peter Thiel. Ryan is still polling at parity despite Republican spending tens of millions of dollars on attack advertising against him.

Ryan continues to gain over independent voters, according to his supporters. He's also more likable than Vance, who is viewed less favorably by Ohio voters than he is, according to polls.

Voters are anticipated to support the Democrat while still casting ballots for the Republican governor, which could benefit Ryan. According to Pepper, Ryan has "done everything he could humanly do" to boost turnout. She also points out that surveys indicate Ryan is receiving 20% of DeWine voters.

Unfortunately for Ryan, he might need a superhuman effort at this point in the campaign. Indeed, extra funding would be wonderful, but Ohio is a pricey media market, and the party would get more for its money in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Just a few months prior, Vance had suffered from a difficult primary, had made few expenditures, and was not frequently heard on the radio. While Democrats virtually withdrew from the contest, McConnell made the decision to double down and set up $28 million in radio and television advertisements.

Democrats will have to consider that choice if Ryan loses by a slim margin, which is not unlikely, and if Democrats lose their Senate majority by a slim margin. And those who seek answers won't simply be Ohio Democrats.