Ohio Senator Visits Campus

With eight days until the election, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown made a campaign stop in Athens to talk to a crowd of about 100 people in the Bobcat Student Lounge about his previous accomplishments in Ohio and the hand Athens County will play in the fast approaching election.

Introducing the senator was Ohio University student and campaign representative, Kayla Prater.

“He [Brown] has spent his entire career in Washington trying to make college more affordable and [help] all young people have the opportunity to afford a four year college or trade school of their choosing,” said Prater. “In the Senate he has fought to redirect billions of subsidies from student loan firms and directly to students to be used for financial aid. My message to you today is simple, let us make sure that we tell everyone we can why Sherrod Brown needs to be elected.”

Senator Brown began his brief speech with a few points on the city of Athens.

“There is no more progressive community in all of Ohio,” said Brown.

Brown, incumbent Senator for the state since his election in 2007, hopes to defeat Republican challenger Josh Mandel come Nov. 6 by addressing his own accomplishments for student funding, clean energy manufacturing and bringing jobs to Ohio.

“People in Washington do not just move the country forward because they think they should,” said Brown. “Government moves the country forward because of student groups and people of faith in their perishes and people in unions and people in civil rights groups. [They] push government to great odds and that is what people in Athens understand.”

Brown also criticized the current Republican Party’s positions following the previous election season.

“Republicans were blaming us for all the job loss and I understand that. But soon as the election was over do you know what they [Republicans] did? They went after workers’ rights, they went after voting rights and they went after women’s rights,” said Brown.

“There is a very distinct fork in the road this year,” he continued. “You know the difference, my opponent and people like him want to do more tax cuts for the rich, they can make it so that it will trickle down to the middle class. We tried that in 2001 to 2008 and we saw virtually no job growth in this country.”

Brown continued to mention the difference between the Bush administration and the Clinton administration with the hope to move toward the economic growth of the Clinton years.

Brown’s biggest initiative for his current electoral race is his “Road to Ohio Jobs Tour.” The tour will take Brown across Ohio to advocate for increasing the amount of middle class jobs and continued economic growth. The caravan of made-in-Ohio Chevy Cruzes from Youngstown and Jeeps from Toledo as Brown’s transportation exhibits the state’s auto industry, according to Brown’s campaign.

The senator closed by assuring voters of his future plans for the state.

“I’m going to keep a strong voice in Washington for all of you for the next six years,” said Brown.