Actually, Congressman Tim Ryan would have been the strongest candidate the Democrats could have run, a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-free trade Catholic who could have appealed to socially-conservative, blue-collar voters. Fortunately, he decided to not make the race. But given the weakened state of the Ohio GOP, Brown could very well win this.
"Actually, Congressman Tim Ryan would have been the strongest candidate the Democrats could have run, a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-free trade Catholic who could have appealed to socially-conservative, blue-collar voters."
If Tim Ryan's father had been a governor, you'd be right, as Bob Casey, Jr. is proving in Senate polls in next-door PA. But Ryan would suffer from low name ID (he's only been in the House for 3 years, and is from a part of the state that is ignored unless a politician is getting indicted) and lack of enthusiasm among liberals, especially in urban and suburban areas. I mean, I'm happy he didn't run, since that idiot DeWine would probably react by trying to run to Ryan's left, and since I'd rather have Ryan in the House than ex-Congressman Tom Sawyer or God knows whom from Youngstown/Warren, but I'm afraid that Sherrod Brown has a better chance of pulling off the upset than Tim Ryan.