The main event for tonight's Republican National Convention will be President Donald Trump's address accepting the party's nomination, but it is also set to feature Cleveland native Ja'Ron Smith, deputy assistant to the president.
All four nights of the RNC have incorporated an Ohio component. On the first night, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio, 4th District) delivered a high-profile speech, followed by a Youngstown truck driver, and a Mansfield mother advocating for school choice throughout the week.
Bob Paduchik, a senior Trump campaign adviser from Ohio, says Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden has abandoned the Midwest, but says the Trump campaign recognizes Ohio as an important battleground state.
"The fact of the matter is that it is important, it's a barometer for the rest for the country," Paduchik says. "It's not insignificant that attention has been put on Ohio. So many resources have been put in place in it. We know the state matters to the president's electoral victory and we're not taking it for granted."
Biden's campaign fired back saying it's Trump who has abandoned Ohio with four years of policies that hurt American workers.
"Joe Biden has the utmost respect for American workers. He will mobilize our talent, grit and innovation – backed by the full power of the federal government -- to ensure that our future is ‘made in all of America’ by all of American workers," said Toni Webb, Biden for President Ohio state director, in a written statement.
The Democratic National Convention also featured Ohio at several points during the event, including former Gov. John Kasich who urged Republicans and independents to vote for Biden.
Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau
