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Vice President Mike Pence campaigns for Republicans in Mansfield

Pence delivered remarks at a Get Out the Vote Rally for U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson and gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine.

MANSFIELD - Vice President Mike Pence was in town Wednesday to tout the candidacies of Mike DeWine and Troy Balderson.

But what he touted even more was the presidency of Donald Trump.

Pence spoke to a crowd of several hundred people at a voting rally at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.

People attending the rally were asked to park at Mansfield Motor Speedway and ride Richland County Transit buses to the airport hangar where the rally took place. An RCT representative estimated 500 people had been given rides.

Coming to the podium accompanied by the song "All Right Now" and a roar from the crowd, Pence sported a gray suit and a red and gray tie.

"It's great to be back in the Buckeye State, just six days away from a great victory all across the state of Ohio," he said at the beginning of his 34-minute speech.

Pence said Trump has delivered in his first two years in office.

"Isn't he something?" the vice president asked. "It's the greatest honor of my life to serve with the president."

Pence touched on Saturday's mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed. He said Trump showed leadership during his visit there on Tuesday.

"What happened was not just criminal, it was evil," Pence said. "We will never allow violence and anti-Semitism to take hold in the United States."

He then returned to accomplishments in the first two years of this administration. Pence said unemployment is at a 50-year low.

In addition, he said reduced taxes for businesses have created 500,000 new jobs in Ohio in the last two years.

"From day one, confidence was back," Pence said. "In a word, America was back, and we're just getting started."

Pence said Trump also has focused on security by signing the largest increase for defense spending since the days of former President Ronald Reagan.

The vice president touched on another current event, the migrant caravan that is making its way to the U.S. border.

Pence claimed the caravan is driven by leftist organizations in Central America. He said Trump called the caravan "nothing less than an assault on our country."

"We're going to end this crisis of illegal immigration once and for all, but we need partners," Pence said, vowing to build the wall that was a key campaign promise for Trump.

DeWine and Democrat Rich Cordray are vying to replace term-limited Gov. John Kasich. They are locked in a neck-and-neck battle.

"Mike DeWine is the only candidate who has served in public office," Pence said. "He has a record of results. Cordray has a record of bureaucracy and failure.

"Ohio can't afford Richard Cordray in the statehouse."

Pence closed by saying DeWine would never let Ohio down.

Balderson is hoping to fill the 12th Congressional District seat previously held by U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi. He is running against Democratic challenger Danny O'Connor.

Balderson nipped O'Connor in a special election held after Tiberi retired. The Republican received 50.1 percent of the vote.

Pence said Balderson has made an impact in the three months he has held office.

"He has really emerged as a national leader," the vice president said.

He wrapped up his speech by urging people to vote.

"And remember, friends don't let friends vote alone," Pence said. "We made history in Ohio in 2016. We're going to make more history in 2018."

He was preceded at the podium by U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate; Bob Gibbs, who is seeking reelection in Ohio's 7th District; DeWine and Balderson, seeking reelection in Ohio's 12th District.

DeWine said the Buckeye State has rallied under Republican leadership.

"We've come a long, long way in the last eight years," DeWine said.

Under Democratic leadership, he said Ohio lost 400,000 jobs, unemployment was in double digits, and the rainy day fund was down to 89 cents.

"Do we go back, or can we go forward?" DeWine asked.

If elected, he said his focus would be on jobs. DeWine also said he would double-down on drug cartels and expand drug courts.

He also referenced Issue 1, which critics say would weaken drug laws.

"Where do you think drug dealers are going to come when Ohio becomes a sanctuary?" DeWine asked. "How could Richard Cordray be for this issue?"

Balderson tried to fire up the crowd.

"I want to hear some noise when we introduce the vice president of the United States," he said.

Balderson described himself as "just a kid from Muskingum County."

"This is a battleground state," he said. "We know why the vice president is here. You've got to help us get over the finish line."

Balderson declared Ohio "open for business," saying legislators have cut taxes and balanced the budget.

"I'm going to take that to the next level," he said.

Renacci is locked in a battle with incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, whom he called the fourth most liberal senator in the country.

"That's not Ohio values," he said.

Renacci said we cannot afford to go back to the policies of Barack Obama.

"We need not just a red wave, but a red tsunami," he said.

Gibbs is being challenged by Democrat Ken Harbaugh. The two debated Monday at Ashland University.

He said the stakes are "really high" in this election.

"We're at a fork in the road," Gibbs said. "The liberals are trying to buy these seats. It's a scam, it's a fraud."

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill

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