John Legend is heading to Dayton on Monday, Oct. 26, to stand behind Democratic candidates Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton just over a week before Ohioans decide the state's next governor and U.S. senator. The Grammy-, Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winning singer and Springfield native won't be performing — he's showing up strictly as a special guest to energize local voters down the stretch of a tight campaign.
According to the Dayton Daily News, Brown, the U.S. Senate candidate, and Acton, the gubernatorial candidate, will both be on hand for the event, which is organized by the Ohio Wins! campaign and open to the public. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the program starts at 7:15 p.m., though the exact venue won't go out until 24 hours before showtime, with registrants receiving the location directly. It's a format Legend has used before: he appeared at a Hamilton County rally urging a no vote on Issue 1 ahead of an August special election, per WLWT, and he has campaigned in Ohio before for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats, according to the same Dayton Daily News report.
A Tight Race Entering the Final Stretch
The Springfield-born EGOT winner's visit lands as Election Day, Nov. 3, draws near and as both Brown and Acton hold leads in recent statewide polling. Marist Poll data from late September shows Brown leading Republican incumbent Sen. Jon Husted 51% to 43% among registered Ohio voters, while Acton leads Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 44% in the governor's race, per Marist Poll. Independents break even more sharply for the Democrats, favoring Brown 58% to 33% and Acton 57% to 32%, the same survey found. Marist polled 1,298 registered Ohio voters from Sept. 24 through Sept. 27, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, and separately found that Ohio voters disapprove of President Donald Trump's job performance by a 56% to 42% margin.
Montgomery County Democratic Party Chair Jocelyn Rhynard said the rally is one of the last chances for voters to connect directly with Brown and Acton and hear their vision for Ohio before ballots are finalized, the Dayton outlet reported. Still, political observers quoted in that coverage caution the governor's and Senate races could both come down to the wire — a view echoed by the Cook Political Report, which rates the gubernatorial contest a toss-up, according to NPR.
Attack Ad Featuring Acton's Estranged Mother Draws Scrutiny
Legend's appearance comes amid fallout from a Ramaswamy campaign advertisement featuring Acton's estranged mother, who criticizes Acton and calls her a liar. Ramaswamy confirmed to reporters that his campaign was behind the ad, according to the Ohio Capital Journal, which also reported that Acton's campaign said Ramaswamy was investing $4 million to run what it called a repulsive advertisement giving star billing to Dr. Acton's abusive mother.
Acton has said she has not seen her mother since she was 12 years old, when she was removed from her mother's custody following abuse, neglect and sexual assault. Per the Dayton Daily News, Acton's mother remained married to a man who was charged with raping Acton when she was a child, according to Acton's campaign and court documents. Ramaswamy's campaign has accused Acton and her campaign of spreading lies about her record and about Ramaswamy and his family.
The Washington Post reported that the ad, which Ramaswamy's camp intended as an October surprise, appears to have backfired, describing it as having exploded on the candidate rather than his opponent, according to the Washington Post. Rhynard said many voters are now energized to support Acton in the wake of the ad, the Dayton Daily News reported — a dynamic that could shape turnout heading into Monday's rally and the days that follow before polls close.
