Sherrod Brown touches down at Ohio University: What it means for his 2024 campaign
Photo via: Office of Senator Sherrod Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Last week, Senator Sherrod Brown stopped into Athens’ very own, Donkey Coffee. Of course, this was not the only reason he was in the region. Brown met with local officials throughout the week from Piketon, Chillicothe and Athens. Brown is looking to garner support from the Appalachian region of Ohio in the upcoming election. According to the New York Times, this part of Ohio was largely dominated by J.D. Vance in the 2022 Senate election.
On his tour of Southern Ohio, Brown stopped in Piketon to speak at a ceremony celebrating the development of a new middle school for Scioto Valley Local Schools. Because of the 2023 government funding law, $20 million will be allocated to build a new Piketon Middle School. The new building will replace the now-closed Zahn’s Corner Middle School, which was shut down in 2019 following the detection of radioactive material inside the school.
“We worked to make this new school a reality because no parent should have to worry about whether their child’s school is safe,” Brown said at the ceremony.
Brown also joined United Steelworkers Local 689 in Pike County to announce the new Appalachian Clean Energy Industrial Training and Assessment Center. The training center aims to prepare local workers with the necessary skills to secure high-paying union jobs in new energy industries and advanced manufacturing. The investment was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Brown helped to write and pass in 2021.
On this year's campaign trail, Brown has made an effort to connect more with rural Americans. According to his website, Brown is focused on bringing infrastructural development, healthcare expansion and economic development to the region with federal funding. This includes access to high-speed internet, childcare, electricity and grants to build bridges and roads throughout rural Ohio. His website also claims to have fought for key legislation in the farming and agriculture sector as well.
After the 2022 election, which saw large Republican support from Appalachians, Brown is focused on building Democratic support. Brown’s actions reflect a bigger movement ahead of the 2024 election to connect with rural America after many, in said regions, stopped supporting the Democratic party citing that it represents urbanism, elitism and further support for more progressive policies. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have selected running mates from the rural Midwest who hope to secure enough votes to win over key areas in the region. The Democratic and Republican parties will surely have a tough fight in rural America come November.