WKSU Stories

Brown Predicts Young Voters will be Driven by Concerns About Guns, Climate Change and Bigotry

Ideastream Public Media | By M.L. Schultze,

M.L. Schultze

Published May 11, 2018 at 5:26 PM EDT

Brown talks with new voters Nanette Pitt and Steven Savides, who became naturalized citizens in March.

Though turnout in this week’s Ohio primary was low, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is predicting higher-than-usual interest in the general election this fall.

Brown on young voter activism

Brown was asked during his Akron Press Club speech whether Democrats are ready for 2018 and have what they’ll need to drive voter turnout. His response was focused on young voters and what will push them to participate. Top of the list, he said, is guns, but it’s not the only issue.

“They see a president where the White House has a stench of bigotry. They see a president and an administration where they deny climate change. They see a president that opposes civil rights and human rights. And they see a president and a White House and a majority in Congress owned by the gun lobby.”

Brown said he expects turnout to be higher than the last midterm election in 2014 despite an expected barrage of negative ads which he says are designed to turn voters off.