CAMPAIGN Kerry plans to stop in Valley

This will be the Democratic presidential nominee's fourth Valley visit.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, will return Sunday to the Mahoning Valley.
Kerry will hold a "town hall" meeting at an undetermined location in Youngstown at 12:30 p.m., said Brendon Cull, spokesman for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Ohio. The location could be determined by the Kerry advance team as early as today, he said. Also, ticket information will be released shortly.
Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, plans to discuss jobs and the economy during the speech, Cull said.
This would be Kerry's fourth visit to the Mahoning Valley as a presidential candidate. The Democratic presidential nominee focused on jobs and the economy during his first two stops. The Valley -- and in particular Youngstown -- is one of the most economically depressed areas of Ohio.
Also, Ohio has lost almost 250,000 jobs during the Bush administration. That is more than one-quarter of all the jobs lost in the United States with President Bush in the White House.
Previous visits
Kerry first visited the Valley in February with stops in Struthers: one at a plant closed for nearly 30 years and then a speech at Astro Shapes. The events were closed to the public.
Kerry returned to the area in April, holding a rally on Youngstown's Federal Plaza. About 1,000 people attended that event.
Kerry made an unannounced stop a few weeks ago in Lisbon to visit victims of floods in that Columbiana County community.
Political observers and officials with the Kerry and Bush campaigns consider Ohio to be a key battleground state. Until a few weeks ago, the two candidates were in statistical dead heats in numerous political polls of likely Ohio voters. But the latest polls show Bush with leads ranging from 7 percentage points to 12 percentage points over Kerry.
Even so, Kerry has visited the Buckeye State on numerous occasions in recent weeks, as he did before the polls showed Bush with a lead in Ohio. Also, Teresa Heinz Kerry, his wife, has visited the Valley twice and made a recent stop in New Castle, Pa.
Other campaigners
U.S. Sen. John Edwards, Kerry's vice presidential running mate, visited the area three times in the past year, including a rally in Warren earlier this month that attracted 5,000 people. Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, campaigned for the ticket last week at a Youngstown community health center.
Bush is also a frequent visitor to Ohio, although his only Valley stop this year was in May at Youngstown State University. Bush discussed community health centers in what was called an "official presidential visit," and not a "campaign stop." Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced brief stop in Lisbon in July.
Though Ohio polls show a separation between the two candidates, campaign officials on both sides expect the vote in the state to be very close.
A strong showing in Mahoning and Trumbull, traditionally two of the most Democratic counties in the state, is imperative if Kerry is to have a chance to win Ohio. Kerry and Bush campaign officials say the Democrat needs at least 60 percent, and more likely 65 percent, of the vote in the two counties if he has a chance to capture the state's 20 electoral votes.
skolnick@vindy.com