U.S. SENATE RACE Debate focuses on work force

The senator's spokeswoman said the Democrat is an enemy of workers.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Democratic challenger to U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich said the senator is misleading voters by saying he is fighting unfair foreign competition and outsourcing.
In response, a Voinovich campaign spokeswoman said state Sen. Eric Fingerhut, the Democratic challenger, is the real enemy of workers.
Fingerhut held a Wednesday press conference outside RMI Titanium Co.'s Weathersfield facility. More than 300 workers have been locked out of the factory for about a year.
Fingerhut says Voinovich, a Republican seeking a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate, isn't being truthful when he is portrayed on a television commercial as a friend of Ohio's workers and is "fighting unfair foreign competition."
Fingerhut points to Voinovich's votes in support of the North American Free Trade Agreement, giving China most favored nation status, and voting for tax credits for companies that move jobs overseas.
"Sen. Voinovich has failed Ohio's workers time and time again," Fingerhut said. "Now he is attempting to erase a record of failure with a flurry of misleading television spots."
Response
Marcie Ridgway, Voinovich's campaign spokeswoman, said if Fingerhut's economic plan is implemented, it would kill the manufacturing industry.
"The bottom line is Mr. Fingerhut is an enemy to manufacturers," she said. "If you work in a factory, Eric Fingerhut's extremist environmental agenda, his plan to raise taxes, and to raise energy costs will cost you your job. We have enough challenges without facing this one-man tornado."
Polls taken of likely Ohio voters show Voinovich with a double-digit lead over Fingerhut. The election is Nov. 2.
Fingerhut visited three other Northeast Ohio communities Wednesday to blast Voinovich on his record of trade and outsourcing.
skolnick@vindy.com