Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, a Democrat from one of the nation’s most coveted swing states, announced his candidacy for president on Thursday, bringing the Democratic primary field to 17.

Mr. Ryan, who represents a district in northeastern Ohio that includes Youngstown and part of Akron, is perhaps best known at the national level for his criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and his accompanying argument that Democrats have stopped connecting with working-class voters, especially in the Midwest. He challenged Ms. Pelosi for the minority leader position in 2016 and, two years later, was again a leader of a push to elect someone else.

He began his presidential campaign with a TV appearance Thursday morning on “The View,” in which he emphasized jobs and the economy. “I’m a progressive who knows how to talk to working-class people,” he said. “At the end of the day, the progressive agenda is what’s best for working families.”

[Here’s where Mr. Ryan stands on the issues.]

In an interview with The New York Times a few hours later, Mr. Ryan argued that he was better positioned than any other candidate to address “economic disorientation” in places like Youngstown and Akron. He spoke in particular about the potential of electric vehicles and other renewable energy industries to create jobs for people displaced by the decline in manufacturing.