Who is Tim Ryan? 8 things to know about the US representative and former presidential hopeful

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, dropped out of the crowded list of candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Thursday.

Update 1:04 p.m. EDT Oct. 24: Ryan released a video message on social media announcing his withdrawal from the race.

"I got into this race in April to really give voice to the forgotten people of our country. I look forward to continuing that fight," Ryan said in a statement.

Original report:

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, joined the growing list of candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination earlier this month.

"I'm running for president because we need a new generation of ideas & a leader with the courage, strength & experience to put partisan politics aside," Ryan wrote April 4 in a Twitter post announcing his candidacy. "We need to find center again -- not by compromising our values but by making sure there's room at the table for all Americans."

Here are some things to know about the Ohio Democrat:

• Ryan was born on July 16, 1973, in Niles, Ohio, a town about 70 miles southeast of Cleveland.
• Ryan was his high school's star quarterback. His skill was enough to earn him a spot on the Youngstown State University team, according to The Hill. However, his budding sports career ended after he suffered a blown knee, and he transferred to Ohio's Bowling Green University to earn his degree, the news site reported.
• Ryan earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Ohio's Bowling Green State University. He earned a law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. His education also includes a stint in Florence, Italy, where he studied abroad as part of the Dickinson School of Law's International Law Program.
• Ryan began his career in politics in 1995, when he became a member of then-Rep. James Traficant's staff. He left the post in August 1997, according to The Youngstown Vindicator.
• The Vindicator reported Ryan was considered an underdog when he announced his intent to run for the Ohio Senate in 1999 while working as an intern in the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. He was elected a year later to represent the 32nd District in the Ohio Senate.
• Ryan ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, aiming to fill Traficant's seat after he was pushed out following his conviction on felony charges connected to his misuse of campaign funds and tax evasion, according to The Hill. He won the election with 51 percent of the vote. 
  At the time he joined the House, in 2003, Ryan was the youngest Democrat in Congress, according to The Hill.
  He's since won re-election seven times.
• Ryan is the author of "Healing America: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Recapture the American Spirit" and "The Real Food Revolution: Healthy Eating, Green Groceries, and the Return of the American Family Farm." He is a big proponent of meditation, which he's credited for helping to keep him from burning out.
  "If anybody wanted to try it, I'd be happy to point them in the right direction," he told the Religious News Service in 2012.
• Ryan and his wife, Andrea, live in Howland, Ohio, with their three children.

Cox Media Group