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Clinton challenge to Obama: Meet me in Youngstown
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is coming Thursday to the Mahoning Valley with Sen. Barack Obama probably not too far behind.
Clinton confirmed the local visit in a Tuesday interview via satellite from Arlington, Va., with WFMJ, the Mahoning Valley’s NBC affiliate. The topic of her speech will be the economy.
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“I’m focused on the economy,” Clinton told WFMJ. “I believe strongly that we have to do everything possible to get this economy to start working for most Americans again. It’s not. It’s working for the wealthy and the well-connected.”
When asked by WFMJ if she would participate in a debate co-sponsored by the television station and The Vindicator in Youngstown, Clinton readily agreed.
“I would like to challenge Sen. Obama to meet me in Youngstown,” she said. “Let’s have a debate about the issues that are important to the people of that area of Ohio and the entire state.
“We need to focus on jobs and manufacturing and trade and a lot of the other important concerns that I know are on the minds of Ohio voters.”
The location of Thursday’s Valley appearance will be announced today by Clinton’s campaign.
Clinton will spend Thursday and Friday campaigning in Ohio, including stops in Cleveland and Columbus.
Obama’s campaign is having a kickoff meeting for the Mahoning Valley at 7 p.m. today at the Chevrolet Centre’s meeting room, 229 E. Front St. in downtown Youngstown.
The meeting will organize supporters and volunteers in the Valley.
The Obama campaign already has a staff of six in the Valley, led by Jordan Hobfoll, the Youngstown regional field director, who’s previously worked for Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee.
Obama’s campaign will open an office in the Youngstown area shortly, said Ben LaBolt, a campaign spokesman. That office will focus on Mahoning and Trumbull counties, he said.
U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, an Obama supporter, is expected to campaign in this area as early as next week, said state Rep. Robert F. Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat and Obama’s Mahoning Valley co-chairman. Also, Obama will “absolutely come to Youngstown,” probably closer to the March 4 Ohio primary, Hagan said.
“The Mahoning Valley will be a critical region for our campaign, and we do expect that high-profile representatives of our campaign will spend time there,” LaBolt said.
With Tuesday’s primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia done, the focus of the Clinton and Obama campaigns moves to Ohio and Texas.
“Our Ohio schedule hasn’t been set yet,” LaBolt said. “We expect Sen. Obama will be in the state soon.”
Democrats are having a primary in Wisconsin and a caucus in Hawaii next Tuesday. There is nothing else between now and March 4, when Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont have primaries.
Ohio is a big prize for both candidates with 161 delegates at stake.
Only Texas with 228 delegates and Pennsylvania with 188 delegates and an April 22 primary have more delegates at stake among the states that have yet to have Democratic primaries.
skolnick@vindy.com