WASHINGTON, DC — Eleven weeks before Election Day, candidates for Ohio’s Senate seat are hitting the campaign trail in what is one of the most closely watched and expensive Senate races in the country.
What you need to know
- The race for the Senate seat in Ohio is one of the most closely watched in the country as it could change the balance of power in the Senate
- The race is the most expensive Senate race in the country
- Both candidates are spending this week campaigning and canvassing
Republican candidate Bernie Moreno called for volunteer voters to campaign for him in Parma on Saturday.
The event was organized by Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), a libertarian-conservative political advocacy group that supports Republican candidates.
Moreno spoke to his supporters about issues such as veterans’ benefits, building the middle class and restricting illegal immigration. He also expressed optimism that his name recognition is rising compared to his opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). A June Marist piece found that 39% of Ohio voters had either never heard of Moreno or weren’t sure how to rate him, compared to 24% for Brown.
Donovan O’Neil, AFP Action’s senior advisor for Ohio, wrote in a statement:
“Sherrod Brown is skipping the DNC this week, and one thing is clear: He may be hiding from the DNC, but he can’t hide his voting habits from Ohioans. AFP Action is dedicated to helping Ohioans see Brown for who he really is – a Washington insider who sides with his party, not Ohio.”
Brown confirmed that he would not attend the DNC and said in an interview that he would instead meet with voters in Ohio.
One of those meetings took place on Tuesday, when Brown joined a group of union supporters at United Steel Workers Local 2155 in Niles.
Brown spoke about the Butch Lewis Act, a bill he supported that became law in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan. The law, named after an Ohio Teamster who died in 2015, provides a bailout to fund multiemployer pension plans for 30 years, restoring full pension payments. According to the White House, the law has protected the pensions of more than 1 million Americans, including 62,000 Ohioans.
“No one works harder than Sherrod Brown when it comes to protecting Ohio workers’ pensions and retirements,” said Norm Wernet, president of the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans. “Sherrod never gives up – even when passing the Butch Lewis Act seemed impossible, Sherrod never gave up the fight. He got it done.”
