Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Democrat says he could do much more for Ohio in the Senate.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, the leading Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in the May 2 primary, said his stand on political issues is far more in tune with Ohio voters than incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine.
"I'm mainstream Ohio, and that's clear to Ohio voters," Brown, of Avon, told The Vindicator on Tuesday. "I'm not the one out of the mainstream. DeWine is and [President] Bush is."
DeWine, a two-term Republican seeking re-election to the Senate, has come under attack by some conservative factions of his party. But DeWine is the heavy favorite to win next month's three-way GOP primary.
Brown said his views on issues including the war in Iraq, trade, energy and health care are identical to Ohio voters, and DeWine, for the most part, doesn't share those views. Polls show a close race between DeWine and Brown if the general election were held now.
Brown said newspapers refer to him as a "liberal." While he isn't ashamed of the label, Brown prefers to call himself a "progressive." The difference, Brown said, is a liberal believes in an issue while a progressive believes in that issue and fights for it.
"Mike doesn't know where he stands," Brown said of DeWine of Cedarville. "He's not a moderate. He votes with Bush and you wouldn't say Bush is a moderate."
Spokesman responds
Brian Seitchik, a DeWine campaign spokesman, said there will be plenty of time to get into a political debate with Brown after the primary.
"Mike DeWine votes in the best interest of Ohio families, and come November, voters will have a clear choice," he said.
Brown, first elected to Congress in 1992, said he's grown increasingly frustrated with the partisan politics played by Republicans in the U.S. House.
"There's no reason for the minority to be there under the current structure," Brown said. "...In the Senate, you say something and it gets results. Nobody gives a damn about a congressman as compared to a senator."
If elected, Brown said he would be a vocal advocate for fair trade and the American worker.
"I haven't been [in the Senate] and I don't know how the place works, but someone who is aggressive can get things done," he said.
skolnick@vindy.com