John,
I have a rare 15 minutes open in my schedule today, so I wanted to take the time to tell you a story about my very first run for office.
Growing up in Niles, Ohio, I saw manufacturing plants shut down and jobs shipped overseas. My family, my neighbors—all these hardworking folks around me—were working their tails off, doing everything right, and still falling behind.
I didn’t see any politicians looking out for families like mine.
I thought if I could do anything, even the smallest thing to help my family and my neighbors, I’d do it—so I ran for State Senate to make their lives better. Because that’s what I thought elected office was about: solving problems and improving people’s lives. (I still believe that.)
Of course, as a first-time candidate, I had very little campaign cash, so to get the biggest bang for my buck, I decided to go where the largest number of people would show up every day. My team and I got an Ohio Department of Transportation map and found the busiest intersections in my district.
Every morning and afternoon rush hour, in the rain, snow, sleet, or hail, we were there holding campaign signs. People appreciated our daily effort. Mostly I’d get smiles, and occasionally I got the finger. But ultimately, I think most folks decided that if I was willing to work that hard to get the job, they felt they could trust me to work just as hard for them once in office.
I’ve worked every day since to prove them right, and to fight tooth and nail for hardworking Ohioans.
Now I’m running for U.S. Senate because Ohioans -- and all Americans -- deserve a Senator who will look out for them and their families.
There’s a lot more ground to cover when you’re running statewide, and it will take a lot more than campaign signs to combat the mountains of cash the GOP is throwing at my opponent. So, I’m reaching out directly to you:
I’m relying on you to help me get my workers-first message out to every corner of Ohio. Can I count on you to chip in any amount you can to split between my campaign and No Dem Left Behind to help spread the word? I promise I’ll never stop working for you.
