Sen. Sherrod Brown will skip the Democratic National Convention next weekend in Chicago, fighting a tenuous campaign for his fourth term in the U.S. Senate.
The Story
Brown needs to maintain distance from democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, who has yet to clarify policy positions distinct from the Biden Administration’s, and he is keeping it by sitting out this year's DNC in Chicago next weekend. Biden enjoyed the lowest favorability ratings of a sitting president in a generation, while Brown voted in lockstep with the Biden-Harris agenda, according to pollster Five-Thirty-Eight.
Harris enjoyed a polling bump after the transfer of power within the Democratic Party that kept Biden off the ballot, but former President Donald Trump has maintained his lead in every swing state contest, save MIchigan.
One thing the Harris bump has not done, is significantly move the needle on down-ballot races. Brown’s Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, made gains in polls this week, whittling Brown’s lead to four points.
Religion a Factor in VP Pick?
Harris’ VP pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was likely a nod to Michigan’s Muslim contingent and tackling Democrats’ Michigan problem. Shapiro, who is Jewish, volunteered with the IDF, making him a liability with Michigan Muslims. Walz as a pick could also energize Ohio’s significant Muslim population.
Somalis, one Muslim contingency, have risen to prominence in Minnesota politics and have successfully affixed a voting bloc to Central Ohio Democratic politics.
With down-ballot contests seemingly unswayed by Democratic turmoil at the top of the ticket, and now Harris’ VP pick evidently cemented in Walz, Brown must try to stay out of the fray.
Tim Walz and Democrats’ Shift Left
Walz represents a significant shift left for the Democratic ticket and brings vetting liabilities.
The national contest will account for Walz’s difficult record on issues like immigration, the economy, and his oversight of the George Floyd riots, on which the 2024 election appears a referendum. Could they sway voters and shape down-ballot contests after all?
Walz's tenure in Minnesota saw major gifts to illegal immigrants and open-borders advocates, making Minnesota a sanctuary state, offering free college tuition and healthcare to illegal immigrants.
Tim Walz signed laws catering to illegal migrants, giving them free healthcare, tuition https://t.co/m5DmA3epx4 pic.twitter.com/qx2mYHmdQJ
— New York Post (@nypost) August 6, 2024
Lurching the ticket leftward, Walz also signed legislation making Minnesota a sanctuary state for sex-change surgeries on children, which even the Biden Administration finally condemned.
Walz also oversaw a COVID “snitch line” for reporting Minnesotans who defied lockdown orders.
Tim Walz set up a snitch line for people who were violating Covid rules.
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) August 6, 2024
Thousands of complaints came in as people reported their neighbors for things like going to church, hosting a birthday party, buying nonessential items from stores, and not enforcing mask mandates. pic.twitter.com/rpjYlGajzL
He has also drawn fire over his military service, which saw him abandon a National Guard unit before it deployed to Iraq.
.@JDVance: “You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz?… When the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it... When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq... he dropped out.”
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 7, 2024
pic.twitter.com/y2GWwjlqcm
Ohio Stakes
As challenger Bernie Moreno focuses on the economy and immigration, Brown must avoid the liability of the Harris-Walz ticket.
LMAO. After rushing out of the gate to endorse Kamala Harris, Sherrod Brown is now refusing to commit to campaigning with her.
— Mike Berg (@MikeKBerg) July 26, 2024
Kamala is absolutely toxic for down ballot Democrats. pic.twitter.com/Na4JO9NTZR
The three-term incumbent is sure to duck the national fray as the Democratic Party lurches left, even as his vote helped maintain Democratic hegemony, only narrowly, in the Senate. If he prevails in November, Ohioans are sure to watch his record on a new administration.
Follow ohio.news for updates.
