Ohio Dems Count on Doors Not Dollars
WARREN – In a visit to Warren yesterday to rally UAW members and the Party faithful, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern discussed Republican candidates’ support of failed economic and trade policies that killed Ohio jobs, as well as the strength of Democrats’ organization in the state. The Youngstown Business Journal wrote about Chairman Redfern’s visit. Excerpts of the article follow:
“When election day comes around, the ‘number of door knocks’ made by Democrats’ supporters will make the difference, not the numbers of ads aired or the amount of money spent, vows the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.
“Rallying the troops during a trip to Trumbull County Tuesday, Chris Redfern sought to assure organized labor and the party faithful amid an environment that increasingly appears to favor Republicans this fall.
‘Redfern cited advantages in party identification and criticized the GOP state ticket during appearances at the United Auto Workers 1112 hall and Trumbull County Democratic Party headquarters.
“The Ohio Democratic Party remains the largest state party organization in the country — Democrat or Republican — in the nation… In Ohio, 2.5 million registered voters identify themselves as Democrats versus 1.4 million as Republicans, he said.
“That offers Democrats a “distinct advantage, but only if we get those people to the polls,” he said.
“Democrats have an 88-county strategy to knock on every door and invite residents to either go vote early or request a ballot by mail. Throughout the summer, Democrats have engaged with nearly 1 million voters to discuss how Ohio is going to move forward with Gov. Ted Strickland, Attorney General Richard Cordray and Lee Fisher as a U.S. senator, he said, pointing to the expansion of jobs at General Motors’ Lordstown plant.
“Democrats have ‘the best ground game’ and are right on the issues, he said.
“‘At the end of the day, it won’t be about the number of ads that will be on television or the number of dollars that will be spent,’ Redfern, flanked by area labor and political leaders.’It’s going to be about the number of door knocks my friends behind me help make on behalf of the families we care deeply about in this very important part of the state.’
“Much of Redfern’s criticisms of Republicans — particularly GOP gubernatorial candidate John Kasich, U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman and attorney general hopeful Mike DeWine — focused on familiar themes. He accused all three of supporting ‘job-killing’ trade deals that have resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs locally — at companies such as Delphi, General Electric, Denman Tire and ‘too many others ‘ — and across the state.
“‘After supporting the economic and trade policies that drove our country into a ditch,’ Kasich, Portman and DeWine “want to be put back into the driver’s seat,” he remarked.
“‘If history is any guide, Republican candidates will work against Ohio’s working families while Democratic leaders will continue to work for those working families,’ he said. In the last six months, he said, more jobs have been created in Ohio than in most other states, he said. He also noted that Kasich, as a member of the board of directors of Invacare Corp. in Elyria signed off on sending the jobs of nearly 300 workers to China and Mexico.
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Read the full article here.
