Democrats bring state campaign bus to Salem

SALEM -- Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper stepped off of a giant blue bus emblazoned with a message of People First during a bus tour stop in Salem Wednesday at Centennial Park, saying it's an 88-county campaign that he believes will finish with some upsets in November.

According to Pepper, new polling released Wednesday shows the Democrats and Republicans tied in every state house race.

"At the end of the day, it's going to come down to turnout," he said.

The trip was part of the Ohio Democratic Party's People First Bus Tour, which kicked off in Columbus Tuesday and will continue to meander through all 88 counties in the state between now and Election Day, giving support to the state and local Democratic Party candidates, including John Dyce, who's looking to oust Republican Tim Ginter from the fifth district chair in the Ohio House representing Columbiana County.

The Guilford Lake resident, accompanied by his wife, Sally, a campaign volunteer and Columbiana County Democratic Party Chairman Nick Barborak welcomed the bus tour, which Pepper said has a goal to bring attention to local campaigns. Pepper said the message of affordable healthcare, good-paying jobs and a quality education is one that's being spread by every campaign in every corner of the county by Democratic candidates like Dyce.

"We're fighting for people, Ohio's workers and everyday families," he said.

The idea behind the bus tour is to take the message directly to the people so they can hear directly from candidates. The turnout for the Salem event was slim, but Pepper said they had good rallies in Delaware and Mansfield. Some of the stops Wednesday included Coshocton and New Philadelphia, along with an event in Green Township at a private residence in the evening.

Barborak said he has seen a lot of new excitement in the Democratic Party. He said they lost a lot of people in 2016 who may have felt they were being left behind, but the last two years have been disappointing, with people not seeing all that was promised. He said he feels good about the state ticket and about the slate of local candidates.

Dyce was the only local candidate to appear for the bus tour stop. Shawna Roberts, who's running for the U.S. House in the Sixth District against Republican Bill Johnson, was also scheduled to appear but wasn't able to make it.

Pepper gave both Dyce and Barborak an opportunity to speak.

"I'm just excited about this race and fighting to be a voice for the people of the Fifth District," Dyce said.

Both he and Barborak touched on the ECOT scandal and the loss of a million dollars experienced by Columbiana County schools, much which they claimed went into campaigns for legislators and should be paid back to the schools. Dyce said he wants to be part of the solution.

"I want to focus on improving people's lives," he said.

mgreier@salemnews.net