CLEVELAND — With the switch at the top of the ticket for the Democratic Party, there’s been some confusion about whether Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is willing to appear with the new presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted this blog entry in late August, claiming Brown is "changing his tune" about being willing to campaign with her.
THE QUESTION
So let's VERIFY: Has Sherrod Brown said he's not willing to campaign with Kamala Harris?
SOURCES
Our sources are:
- CNN reporting
- Sherrod Brown interviews with WCHM in Columbus, Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, and WLWT in Cincinnati
- Sherrod Brown's campaign
EXPLANATION
Brown endorsed Harris on July 22, one day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
On Aug. 4, CNN reported that when asked if he would campaign with Harris, Brown said, "I've got my own schedule. She's got her own schedule. I will focus on my race."
When pressed on this by WCMH on Aug. 13, Brown said this:
“Well I never made a decision not to campaign with her. She has not been in the state. I don’t know if Ohio is gonna be a target for them or not. But I like her, I’ve endorsed her. I like Tim Walz. I’ve endorsed the ticket.”
In an interview with Ideastream Public Media published on August 23, Brown said, "I'll campaign with her or with Tim Walz. I think they probably won't spend a lot of time here because we're not the swing state we were. But if my schedule works, I will, of course I will."
Then, in an Aug. 28 article, Brown told WLWT, "I will campaign likely with her if she comes into the state if we can put our schedules together."
Now, on Sept. 3, a Brown campaign spokesperson told me, "Sherrod has endorsed the top of the ticket and has been clear that he will campaign with Vice President Harris if she comes to Ohio and their schedules work out."
ANSWER
So we can VERIFY that no, Sherrod Brown has not said he isn't willing to campaign with Kamala Harris.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
He's said that he will, but he doesn't know if she'll come to Ohio, or if their schedules will line up if she does. I reached out to Harris' team to see if she plans to stop in our state, but haven't heard back yet.