Clinton, Kaine expected to make Valley appearance Saturday

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown area, expected to be hotly contested during the presidential campaign, will be one of the first stops for the freshly-minted Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine after the party's national convention.

Clinton and Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia she tapped as her running mate, will have a three-day bus tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania starting Friday, according to a campaign aide.

Clinton and Kaine are expected to be in the Youngstown area on Saturday night, two days after Clinton delivers her acceptance speech as the Democratic presidential nominee at the party's national convention in Philadelphia, the aide said.

Details about time and location of the Youngstown area campaign stop weren't available Sunday.

After the Mahoning Valley stop, the running mates will campaign next Sunday in Columbus and indications are the pair will make other stops in Ohio on Saturday and Sunday.

Ohio is a key battleground state in presidential elections.

The tour will have a heavy emphasis on Clinton's vision for an American economy that works for all and not just those at the top, and her agenda is focused on creating good-paying jobs, the aide said.

During the tour, Clinton and Kaine will have a combination of public rallies, smaller events focused on issues central to their campaign, and stops at local retail stores.

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, did exceptionally well in the Mahoning Valley and along the Ohio River during the GOP primary.

Trump soundly defeating Ohio Gov. John Kasich in those locations. Kasich won the Ohio primary despite losing in those counties.

Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence officially became the Republican presidential-vice presidential ticket at last week's convention in Cleveland.

Clinton beat U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in those same counties, as well as numerous others, and won the Ohio primary.

The importance of winning the Mahoning Valley is a key to capturing Ohio and the presidency. The area is overwhelmingly Democratic, but there was a huge turnout for Trump during the March 15 primary.

In Mahoning County alone, more than 6,000 registered Democrats crossed over to vote in the Republican Party, primarily for Trump. Also, close to 22,000 independents voted in the GOP primary in the county for the same reason.

Part of Trump's strategy is to win in the Rust Belt, particularly the Appalachian regions of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

Clinton and Kaine are expected on the tour to make the argument directly to those voters that Trump is the wrong candidate for them.

The convention wraps up Thursday night in Philadelphia with a joint rally Friday on Independence Mall in that city being the first campaign stop after the two secure their nominations from Democratic delegates.

The first stops of the Clinton-Kaine bus tour Friday include Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, the aide said.

Pennsylvania is also an important swing state in the election.

The two Democrats are also expected to stop in Johnstown, Pa., for a small economic event. In the 2012 election, Republican Mitt Romney got 58 percent of the vote in Cambria County, where Johnstown is located.

The Clinton-Kaine campaign visit to Johnstown is part of a plan to fight for those largely rural, working-class white voters who Trump has attracted.