One of Sen. Sherrod Brown’s earliest supporters says she has mixed feelings that he won’t be running for the White House next year.
Dayton mayor Nan Whaley chaired a committee that hoped to draft Brown to run for president after his re-election to the Senate last year. After months of considering a 2020 campaign, Brown announced Thursday that he would stay in Congress, saying he could better fight there for workers’ rights.
Whaley described her reaction as “bittersweet.”
“I want Sherrod to do great things and he’ll do that in the United State Senate – there’s no doubt,” Whaley says. “He’s a great leader there and a great leader for Ohio. And we still have him in Ohio, which is good. But I think he would have been a terrific candidate.”
Whaley agreed with Brown that his “Dignity of Work” tour, which stopped through four early presidential primary and caucus states, helped focus the Democratic Party on issues hitting working families. Brown said Thursday he wasn't dissuaded from running by other candidates or the prospect of raising money.
She said she’s confident one of the other Democrats in the race or thinking about it will be able to win the White House.
