CINCINNATI — The campaign trail is heating up with just less than two weeks left until the election, and Ohio is becoming stomping grounds for both campaigns. Vice President Mike Pence made his third visit to the Buckeye State this year on Wednesday and spoke to a crowd of nearly 500 people at Waypoint Aviation at Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport.
This follows his stops in Zanesville and Columbus over the past few weeks.
With Democratic candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump polling virtually neck and neck in Ohio, the Trump campaign wants to make it clear they value Ohio voters.
“It is great to be back in the Buckeye State, but I am here for one reason and one reason only,” Pence said. “That is that Ohio and America need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.”
He added, “And the road to victory runs right through Ohio.”
Pence spoke about several topics during his visit to Cincinnati focusing mainly on the economy and manufacturing, praising Trump for its strong presence in Ohio—a similar speech to those at his other Ohio visits. He also made jabs at the Biden campaign, saying America will lose its independence in the energy sector if Biden becomes president.
He also took some time to discuss the pandemic, and how Trump built up the military.
Trump won Ohio by eight points in the last election, but as recent polls have shown, the candidates are virtually tied in the state. A polling average from FiveThirtyEight shows Trump is ahead by 1 percent, but that’s been a common trend over the last several months. Since April, neither candidate has had a more than 3 percent lead over the other in Ohio.
Nationally, Biden is ahead of Trump by nearly double digits.
Despite the numbers, both campaigns have made Ohio a backdrop in this election. Each ticket has visited the state more than three times, starting with the first presidential debate in Cleveland earlier this month. Biden has made visits to Toledo and Cincinnati, and did a short bus tour through Ohio following the first debate. Pence has visited the state now three times. Donald Trump Jr. plans to rally in Steubenville Friday after making a stop in Lima last month. On Thursday, Second Lady Karen Pence plans to visit Tipp City outside of Dayton.
Sen. Kamala Harris had to cancel her trip to Cleveland last Friday after a COVID-19 scare in her campaign, but says she still plans to visit before the election.
Both campaigns have made it clear that Ohio is key to whoever wins the election, which Pence indicated in his speech, saying Ohio will decide whether there’s a Republican victory on Nov. 3.
