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Former President Clinton Campaigns In Ohio Hours After His Wife's Opponent Wins Michigan Primary

Former President Bill Clinton came to Ohio on behalf of his wife. The visit comes a day after her opponent in the Democratic presidential primary, Bernie Sanders, scored a surprise upset in the Michigan primary. Supporters who came out to see the former president campaign for Hillary Clinton had somewhat mixed reactions to Sanders' victory.

Clinton began his day in Columbus by walking through a neighborhood on the east side of downtown Columbus with Democratic former mayor Michael Coleman, who showed him a mural featuring important local African-Americans on a bridge and the renovated Lincoln Theatre.  Clinton then traveled to the Hillary For Ohio headquarters, located in the same building as the Ohio Education Association. The state's largest teachers' union has endorsed Clinton. Clinton said of the campaign: “It’s been a highly unusual election, right? Every Republican debate I sit there with baited breath, waiting for the grade school food fight.”

And Clinton also talked why Ohio should vote for his wife. “She’s the first person in either party to call for doing something for Appalachia and other places that have been left out and left behind and to say there’s a connection between the places that are most distressed and the places with the highest rates of addiction to prescription drugs and heroin,” Clinton said.

The visit comes just Bernie Sanders' upset win in Michigan the night before. But Jacqueline Meadows of Columbus said the Sanders victory in Michigan isn’t a big deal for her. “Not really concerned – I have some like for Bernie Sanders too. But I’m voting for Hillary,” Meadows said.

Brinda Copsey of Worthington brought her nine-year old daughter to see Bill Clinton – and said Sanders didn’t log a substantial victory.  “He won by about 20,000 votes, and I don’t think that’s a significant enough win,” Copsey said.

But Lee Russell of Columbus admits he’s a bit worried how Clinton will do in Ohio, “because a lot of people want something for free, and Bernie’s offering it.”

Clinton went on to events in Chillicothe and Dayton. 159 Democratic delegates will be awarded proportionally in next week’s primary.

Contact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
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