Correction appended.
Taylor Sappington, candidate for State Representative in Ohio’s 94th district, was endorsed by former President Barack Obama.
Obama endorsed candidates for the midterm elections across Ohio and the nation through a series of tweets on Wednesday, according to a press release from Sappington’s campaign. Sappington is a Nelsonville City Council member and a Democrat.
“President Obama knows that patriotism is about standing up for everyone, no matter where you're from, what you look like or who you love,” Sappington said in the press release. “The hard-working people of the 94th District know that too, which is why our campaign is about standing up for the needs of all of us in Southeastern Ohio, and investing in our infrastructure, education, and economy so that we can all succeed.”
Obama also endorsed Richard Cordray and Betty Sutton, the Democratic ticket for Ohio governor and lieutenant governor, along with Steve Dettelbach for attorney general, Kathleen Clyde for secretary of state and Zack Space for auditor.
“His endorsements from Cordray at the top of the ticket to Sappington at the statehouse level proves we have talented and passionate candidates who want to make the lives of Ohioans better,” Bailey Williams, president of the Ohio University College Democrats, said.
Rick Neal, the Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 15th District for the U.S. House of Representatives was absent from Obama’s endorsements; however, the tweet said that it was Obama’s first wave of midterm endorsements.
"It's no surprise former President endorsed so many fantastic Ohio Democratic candidates today, like Rich Cordray for governor and Taylor Sappington for the Ohio House,” Mike Hobbs, the campaign manager for Rick Neal, said in an email.
Hobbs said that Neal’s campaign has already been endorsed by senators Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren, and that they are looking forward to earning more support from people prior to the midterm election Nov. 6.
On the Republican side, President Donald Trump endorsed Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for governor but has yet to endorse Congressman Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, or Ohio State Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, for their races.
Sappington is running against Republican incumbent Edwards to represent a district which includes Meigs, Athens, Vinton and Washington counties.
Sappington’s platform includes protections for workers, funding for public education and public colleges, and solutions to the opioid crisis, according to the press release.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the date of the election. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
