In front of a large college crowd, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray got a boost today from Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a progressive favorite.
Warren came out to tour Columbus and Cincinnati with Cordray, the former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which she created under President Obama. At the Newport Theater, near the campus of Ohio State, Warren said Cordray stood on the side of students and hard-working Ohioans.
“Wall Street banks hate everything that Rich stands for and they will stop at nothing to prevent him from becoming your next governor," Wareen said. "But they have underestimated one unshakable truth. They’ve got money and they’ve got power, but there’s a whole lot more of us than there is of them."
Cordray has touted his experience at the CFPB, which he left to run for Ohio governor, as a major credential in this race.
"When we were working at the Consumer Bureau, we were working for everybody in this room and everybody in this state and everybody across the country," Cordray said. "And our job as we understood it was to stand on your side and see that you were treated fairly and when people wrong you to try and make it right."
Sen Elizabeth Warren takes the stage at the Newport at OSU. She is here to endorse Richard Cordray for Governor of Ohio pic.twitter.com/qRwki6jZZY
— Jo Ingles (@joingles) April 13, 2018
Warren's appearance comes as Cordray faces a tight primary races against former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who was initially viewed as a long-shot but got a boost for strong gun control positions. In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, Kucinich has run to Cordray's left on the issue of guns, calling out the former Ohio Attorney General for his past high rating from the National Rifle Association.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren rails against @realDonaldTrump, saying Supreme Court vacancy was "stolen" and democracy is under attack.
— Adora Namigadde (@adorakn) April 13, 2018
She's introducing gubernatorial candidate Rich Cordray at OSU Democratic student rally. @wosunews pic.twitter.com/QjbZi8E58C
At their Cincinnati stop, at a substance abuse treatment facility, Warren is expected to highlight Cordray's plan to fight the opioid crisis. His proposal includes protecting Medicaid expansion and boosting support for local law enforcement and treatment options.
Other Democratic gubernatorial candidates - which include former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill and state Sen. Joe Schiavoni - are also having high profile people come in to help them campaign before the May 8 primary.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
