Allison Russo meets and greets with students
Democratic State Rep. Allison Russo meets with Ohio University students on College Green. Photo by Danny Murnin.
Democratic State Rep. Allison Russo held a meet-and-greet event with students on College Green Sunday afternoon to campaign and turn out voters for the election on Nov. 2.
Russo, who is running in an upcoming special election for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, was first elected to the 24th state House District in the Columbus suburbs in 2018. She is running against former coal lobbyist Mike Carey, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. She announced her candidacy in May after former Rep. Steve Stivers announced his resignation to lead the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Russo discussed issues including climate change, abortion, infrastructure, redistricting and health care with students. Russo also talked about her childhood in Mississippi, where she was raised by a single mom, became the first person in her family to go to a four-year college and how college provided her opportunities to succeed. She said opportunity is the reason she is running for Congress.
“For me it is about making sure that working families have a voice in Congress and making sure that we’ve got someone in Congress like me who is fighting for opportunity for all Ohioans and that is what has motivated me to step up and run for this open seat at the federal level,” Russo said.
Russo flipped her State House district from red to blue in 2018, taking 57% of the vote and won by an even larger margin in 2020. According to the Daily Kos and the New York Times, Trump won the district by 14 points in 2021, and Stivers won by nearly twice as much.
Russo said past election results show there is a formula Democrats can use to win in areas like the 15th District.
“The DNA of this district is definitely friendly towards Republicans, but Democrats have won here. Sen. Sherrod Brown did win here in 2018 in this district, and Justice Jennifer Brunner won this district when she ran for Supreme Court in 2020,” Russo said. “What that says to me is that when you’ve got a good Democratic candidate who is showing up in the district to talk with voters, and is talking about the issues that matter to them, Democrats can win here and they should win here.”
Haley Janoski, a third year student at Ohio U and Political Director of the Ohio University College Democrats, attended the event and said she was impressed by Russo as a candidate.
“I think she’s very kind and knowledgeable, and seems reasonable,” Janoski said. “I particularly like her background in public health.”
Russo said there is typically low voter turnout with special elections, so her campaign is about motivating Democratic and Independent voters, as well as student voters, to show up to the polls on Nov. 2.
“Every election matters, whether you are voting for a township trustee, or you are voting for a member of Congress, or the President of the United States. Every vote matters,” Russo said. “The unique thing about this special election is that it happens to coincide with some of these local elections as well, and I want college students to be engaged regardless of who they vote for because your elected officials matter from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ticket.”
