43
Clinton, Biden to return to Valley
Details of Clinton’s visit have not yet been announced.
WARREN — With polls in Ohio showing a statistical dead heat for president, Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, will have three public rallies Tuesday in the swing state, starting off the day in Warren.
Also, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination, is expected to be in the Mahoning Valley at the end of the week, according to sources with information about the appearance.
This would be Clinton’s second trip to Ohio, and her first to the Mahoning Valley, since losing the nomination to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
The location and time of her visit aren’t finalized, but Clinton, a senator from New York who won the Ohio Democratic primary, is expected to hold a rally in the Youngstown area Friday.
An Ohio Newspaper Poll, released Sunday, showed a statistical dead heat between Obama and John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee. McCain is leading in the poll 48 percent to 46 percent. The poll has a 3.3 percent margin of error.
Biden, a U.S. senator from Delaware, is holding a Change We Need rally at the Warren Community Amphitheatre on Tuesday, the day before the final presidential debate.
People will be permitted to enter the open-air facility at 303 Mahoning Ave. N.W., off Courthouse Square, at 8:30 a.m. The event is expected to start at 10:30 a.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets aren’t required, but an online RSVP is encouraged. To RSVP, visit oh.barackobama.com. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The public entrance will be on the lawn adjacent to the Kinsman House. Limited public parking is available on site. Carpooling is recommended.
The vice presidential nominee is to discuss the Obama-Biden plan to add jobs, turn the economy around and deliver the real change to Washington that voters want, according to an e-mail from the campaign.
This will be Biden’s second rally in the Valley. He addressed a crowd of about 1,200 on Sept. 18 in downtown Youngstown.
The last national political figure to speak at the amphitheater was John Edwards, the then-Democratic presidential nominee, in August 2004. About 4,000 attended that event.
After the Warren rally, Biden will hold events Tuesday in St. Clairsville and Marietta.
Biden is to campaign Wednesday in Athens, Lancaster and Newark.
Obama was to speak today in Toledo. He held a campaign rally in Austintown on Aug. 5 that attracted about 2,000.
McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, his vice presidential running mate, spoke at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna on Sept. 16 to about 7,000 people.
skolnick@vindy.com