Labor, veteran and Black leaders make case for Ohio US Sen. Sherrod Brown
Roughly 100 days out from November’s election — and with roughly 100 percent of political attention elsewhere — supporters of Ohio Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown tried to bring the conversation back to a race that could be crucial in determining control of the U.S. Senate. Union, veteran and Black leaders praised Brown’s record standing alongside their interests over a long career, while criticizing his Republican challenger, Bernie Moreno.
At the same time, Moreno’s camp is looking to exploit Brown’s track record for their own ends. After tying Brown to Biden as “failed, lifelong politicians,” in a speech at the RNC, the campaign has quickly pivoted to connecting Brown with Harris. A new ad criticizes the Senator and the Vice President over U.S. border policy and closes with video of Brown in a Golden State Warriors jersey.
In 2017, Brown bet Harris the Cleveland Cavaliers would beat the Warriors in the NBA finals, just as he had with her predecessor Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2015 and 2016. Brown went 1-2 on those wagers.
Supporters pitch
Unsurprisingly many of Brown’s backers come from organized labor. Representatives from the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union and the Ohio Federation of Teachers all sung his praises.
Tim Burga from the AFL-CIO pointed to Brown’s support for paid family leave, the expanded child tax credit and the PRO Act, which protects the right of employees to organize their workplaces.
“Sherrod is one of the few elected officials who not only talks, but also listens and then acts,” Burga said. “We never have to wonder about where Sherrod stands. He always stands with Ohio workers.”
Lynn Radcliffe from the SEIU put particular emphasis on Brown’s record for women in the workplace.
“He knows Ohio women aren’t looking for a handout, but are asking for a level playing field, including equal pay, paid family leave, and a pathway to the middle class,” she said. “Ohio labor, including women in labor. Labor have no better champion than Sherrod Brown.”
Melissa Cropper from the Ohio Federation of teachers praised Brown for supporting legislation to ensure educators and other public sector workers can receive their full social security benefits. Rep. Phil Robinson, D-Solon, brought up the senator’s support for My Brother’s Keeper, a mentorship program for young men of color.
Retired Air Force veteran Melissa Rodriguez highlighted Brown’s efforts to establish Space Force command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“Veterans across the state know that Sherrod takes action to address our needs,” Rodriguez said. “And when Sherrod learned about the devastating effects toxic burn pits were having on Ohio veterans, he jumped into action and passed the bipartisan legislation to ensure veterans have access to the health care and benefits they deserve.”
Presidential campaign dynamics
Even as Brown’s backers work to re-center attention on Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, it’s hard to deny the presidential contest is sucking up the oxygen. One party made a last-minute change at the top of the ticket and the other selected Ohio’s other U.S. Senator as its Vice Presidential nominee.
And that’s in just the last two weeks.
Monday when U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, rallied at his high school alma mater in Middletown, Ohio Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou said Vance on the presidential ticket is nothing but a good thing for Bernie Moreno.
“As we go around the state talk Ohioans about the many, many reasons to to elect Donald Trump and the Republicans, J.D. Vance just enhances that,” he said. “I believe it’s going to help turnout.”
Alluding to voters in Appalachian Ohio, he added, “I think it’s also going to help in that critical electorate in the eastern part of the state that we need to make sure Bernie Moreno gets across the finish line.”
In a statement, Moreno campaign spokeswoman Reagan McCarthy argued Ohio has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs since Brown took office in Washington D.C.
“Sherrod continues to push job-killing electric vehicle mandates and wage depressing open border policies,” she added. “Sherrod can pretend to be bipartisan, but he votes with the Biden-Harris administration nearly 100 percent of the time. In November, Ohioans will send him packing.”
For their part, Brown’s supporters sidestepped the presidential race entirely — Burga noting they’re “laser focused” on the Senate race.
“In the labor movement, your word is your bond,” he said, “And Bernie Moreno, his word is not good.”
“We’re really concerned about Bernie Moreno’s record,” he went on, “and what he will do to organized labor, what he’ll do to trade, what he’ll do to the NLRB — all those things where Sherrod Brown has a proven track record.”
Nick Evans has spent the past seven years reporting for NPR member stations in Florida and Ohio. He got his start in Tallahassee, covering issues like redistricting, same sex marriage and medical marijuana. Since arriving in Columbus in 2018, he has covered everything from city council to football. His work on Ohio politics and local policing have been featured numerous times on NPR. Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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