Weirauch: Up Before Dawn to Get Out the Vote in Ohio 5

by Seth Michaels, Dec 5, 2007

Yesterday, in northwest Ohio, Robin Weirauch woke up before dawn to let workers know they have a choice and a shot at better leadership in Congress. Weirauch is the Democratic candidate running in the Dec. 11 special election in Ohio’s 5th District.

Along with members of UAW, AFSCME, Communications Workers of America, the Northwest Ohio Building Trades and the Electrical Workers, Weirauch was at the gates of the Honeywell plant in Fostoria at 6:30 a.m. to distribute worksite leaflets. In this video, Weirauch and UAW Local 533 President Skip Angles talk about the importance of getting leaflets in the hands of workers to turn out the vote.

The leafleting is so important, because we have to have that personal contact with the voters, to let folks know that it’s really time for new leadership—someone who’s going to stand up for the middle class and for working people.

While Weirauch has spent this election talking about serious issues like trade, job creation and health care, her opponent, Republican state Rep. Bob Latta, has distinguished himself primarily by violating Ohio’s campaign laws by making false statements about his opponent in October’s primary election.

Even though President Bush and former Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor (who held this seat from 1989 until his death in September) ran up big margins in this district, national Republicans are clearly worried. Recent campaign filings (detailed here and here) show the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is spending more than $300,000 on mailers and a TV ad in this district. Heavy Republican spending here is a major blow to NRCC funds, as the committee reported only $2.6 million on hand—and $3.6 million in debt—as of the end of October. In short, Republicans are spending money they don’t have in an attempt to save a seat they thought would be safe.

Weirauch isn’t taking any chances. She showed up at the Honeywell plant gates again at 2:30 p.m. yesterday to distribute leaflets to the second shift, and she’ll be working hard every day until the election to give working families a voice in Congress.

____________________________________________________

Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article |Comments (0)