CLEVELAND, Ohio—Former President Barack Obama and other Democrats dusted off his “hope and change” messaging from his successful 2008 campaign and whipped up support at a get-out-the-vote rally on Oct. 24.
With a blend of humor, cheerleading, and sobering calls for more “decency” in American politics, Obama urged Ohio voters to realize they messed up when the state voted to send President Donald Trump back to the White House in 2024.
Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, played a big role in Obama’s two Ohio presidential victories; he drew about 69 percent of Republicans in that county during his second presidential run in 2012.
However, Trump won Ohio in all three presidential elections since then.
“This election is our last, best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration,” Obama said, without invoking Trump’s name as he addressed a large crowd at the Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center. The 10,000-seat venue was filled except for about one-third of the floor space and a smattering of seats furthest from the stage.
Obama said voters should take a stand against Republicans if they are dissatisfied with issues such as the war in Iran, gas prices, and political priorities. “This election can be a start … this election can be a course correction,” the former president said, urging, “Vote for change … vote for Democrats up and down the ballot.”
Ohio is the home of several high-profile, hotly contested races during this year’s midterm election, particularly the contest for governor and the seat now held by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio). He faces a strong challenge from longtime former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Obama joked that his Ohio visit was courtesy of “a hall pass” that his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, granted.
The former Democratic president’s campaign stop follows recent rallies featuring Trump and Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio native, aimed at inspiring Republican voters to cast their ballots. The pair have been criss-crossing the nation this midterm season, hoping to protect slim Republican majorities in both houses of Congress.
Obama’s 2012 Ohio victory drove his Electoral College tally above the 270 votes required for him to earn his second term as president. He also won the state in 2008.
The former president last rallied in Ohio in 2018, when he campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray. Republican Mike DeWine won; he leaves office in January because of term limits.
DeWine’s former health director, Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat whose performance he has praised, is locked in a contentious race for his seat.
Her opponent is businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican whom DeWine still endorses even though the governor denounced him over an advertisement targeting Acton.
A statement from Acton’s campaign called out Ramaswamy for “platforming” Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, who has been estranged from her daughter for decades.
In a one-minute video, Arthur tells Ohioans that they should not vote for her daughter because she has been “lying about her opponent,” has a history of lying, and cannot be trusted to make life better for Ohioans.
The Acton campaign released a statement on Oct. 20, after the ad surfaced online. In it, her brother, Philip Stearns, said, “It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point.”
The ad does not accuse Acton of lying about sexual abuse, Ramaswamy has pointed out.
Ramaswamy says people decrying the ad are missing the point; he says the message highlights a pattern of alleged dishonest statements from Acton.
“The irony is: They’re lying about an ad that is about lying … it had nothing to do with childhood abuse,” Ramaswamy said during an Oct. 23 campaign stop.
Trump and Vance have defended Ramaswamy.
Obama joined the chorus of voices speaking out against the ad.
The auditorium grew quiet when Obama raised the issue of the ad. He paused, then said: “There’s a decency that we should expect out of our public officials … The standards of behavior have gotten so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”
He commended Acton for speaking “movingly about her painful childhood” and for dedicating her life to helping others. He said that, if elected governor, she will “lift people out of poverty” and “forgive medical debt.”
Acton, who spoke for about 15 minutes prior to Obama’s speech, was frequently interrupted by chants of “Amy! Amy! Amy!”
“My opponent has chosen to exploit intentionally my childhood … to save his struggling campaign, but it’s not going to work,” she said, adding “compassion and decency still matter.”
Acton said that Ohio’s story is like her own—“of grit, of grace, and, yes, of hope.”
She noted Obama’s former hope-focused slogan and said: “Hope is what drives this campaign … Hope is optimism plus a plan.”
Acton then said she has plans for making life more affordable for all Ohioans.
She gave no details during the rally.
But her website features an “affordability agenda” that includes measures such as tax credits and more assistance with energy bills.
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