The Democratic and Republican candidates running in what is widely considered to be the closest race for U.S. Senate in the country made a stop in Columbus hours apart on Tuesday to rev up support.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican business owner Bernie Moreno parked their campaign tour buses next door to the Franklin County Board of Elections as the first day of early and absentee voting commenced. The two candidates gave differing views on why they chose to be in Columbus on this key date.
Brown gave a litany of reasons for why Franklin County was the place he chose to campaign on the first day of early voting.
"(It's the) first vote and biggest county in the state. Early day, early voting. State capital. My daughters live here. Grandkids here. Why not Columbus? If I'd gone to Cleveland, you'd say, 'Why Cleveland,'" Brown said to reporters after a rally with supporters just after noon.
Moreno spoke to reporters around 4 p.m. and encouraged voters to get out to vote early, regardless of who they plan to vote for.
"It's a beautiful day today, but we have no idea what Nov. 5 will look like. If you're not voting, you're part of the problem. We've got to make sure that you have your voice be heard," Moreno said.
According to the Franklin County Board of Elections, more than 4,200 people voted early on Tuesday.
Related: Ohio voter guide: What to know about the 2024 election
Franklin County historically isn't a very receptive county to Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, especially when Sherrod Brown is the Democratic nominee. Brown has grown his lead from a 58% win over now-Gov. Mike DeWine in 2006 to 68% against former Congressman Jim Renacci in 2018.
Moreno was asked about the county's receptiveness to Republicans and how he hoped to change that. Moreno said he's done ride-alongs with police throughout the central Ohio region.
Moreno called Linden, one of Columbus' most recognizable neighborhoods, "infested with crime" and said Democratic leaders don't allow police to do what they want to do.
"Look, you go to places like Linden, which is not far from here, as you know. You go to that community, the community is devastated. The people have no hope. The schools are terrible. The housing conditions are unbelievable. The safety is totally out of control. You wouldn't want somebody living in those kinds of conditions in America," Moreno said.
When asked about the numerous community organizations like One Linden and The 614 for Linden that are trying to make a difference and make positive changes for the area, Moreno pivoted and said community members in Linden "love the police" and that he wants to make even more progress in Columbus.
"I want more progress. The reality is they've been at this for years. They've been at this for a long, long time. So we've got to make certain that we're out there, and making those investments and having the private sector go in there and work," Moreno said.
Moreno then contrasted Linden to Clintonville, another large and well-known neighborhood in the city. He referred to the residents of the northern Columbus neighborhood as "elites."
"I saw a very different reception to the police department in Linden. They're very welcoming of the police, very happy there. They're very appreciative that we're there. We were in Clintonville. It wasn't such a happy reception. It shows you the disconnect between the people who are these elites that think that the police are bad, versus the people in the community that really value central voters," Moreno said.
During a speech on Tuesday, Brown said he was proud of how Franklin County voted on last November's reproductive rights constitutional amendment. Franklin County was only behind Cuyahoga County at 72% among counties with the highest number of "yes" votes on the statewide issue. When only the early vote came in at the start of that election night, the margin was even higher.
"When the early vote came in from Franklin County, it was like 80% through maybe 90%. Whatever it was, you do it right," Brown said.
Brown said a lot of money is being spent against him in this U.S. Senate race, and he speculated it is the most expensive U.S. Senate race in American history. He said voters in Franklin County will be critical for him to win.
Brown also talked about why working class values and labor unions are important to him. He touted his record and sounded confident he would win in November.
"You know what we've done. Think about this in January when I return to the Senate. You ain't seen nothing yet," Brown said.
