Ohio Democratic candidates campaigned on the Kent State campus and in the city of Kent Monday afternoon, less than 48 hours before polls close.

Nan Whaley, the first female gubernatorial candidate in the history of Ohio, is running as a Democrat against Mike DeWine, the current Republican governor.

Whaley spent the afternoon on Risman Plaza outside the student center talking with voters.

This election is the most important ever, especially for women, Whaley said.

“The decision that’s going to be happening on November 8 is truly going to decide whether or not young people really want to live in this state or not,” she said.

Women and younger voters are going to be the deciding factor of the election, she said.

“The state is really on a cliff, and it’s making a big decision tomorrow about what kind of state it’s going to be,” Whaley said. “Is it going to be a state that protects abortion rights? Is it going to be a state that makes college affordable? Is it going to be a state that does something around gun safety? And right now, if we go the same direction, we’re gonna fall right off that cliff and say no to all of those things.”

Also appearing on Risman Plaza was Jeff Crossman, the Democratic candidate running for Ohio attorney general against Republican incumbent David Yost.

Crossman reiterated this is one of the most important elections to ever happen.

“Democracy is on the ballot, women’s choices are on the ballot, there’s so many things on the ballot,” Crossman said. “Climate change, gun rights, all that stuff is terribly important to your generation, terribly important to me, because it’s important to all of you.”

Crossman said if he is elected, he would support women’s reproductive rights and fight back against corporations.

“I’ll support choice, and I’ve already put out a plan to do that,” he said. “We will fight back on the corruption that’s been holding our state back and costing us jobs and money.”

Crossman said the midterm will be a “turnout” election.

“It’s gonna be closer than people think, and we need everyone to vote,” he said.

Kathleen Clyde is a Democrat running for State Representative in the 72nd District against Gail Pavliga, the Republican incumbent.

She stressed the impacts of gerrymandering on the state of Ohio.

“We don’t have the fair districts we deserve,” Clyde said. “But we need to win districts back, and this is a district that we can flip to build up our numbers and take a crack at that supermajority” in the Ohio Statehouse.

Clyde also said voters should want and look for certain characteristics in candidates when they go to vote.

“We want someone who is pro choice. We want someone who is pro equality. We want someone who is pro worker, pro jobs, pro students,” Clyde said. “We want to elect our first woman governor of the state.”

Senate candidate Tim Ryan appears at Plum Creek Park in Kent

Tim Ryan, who is running for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Rob Portman, is battling J.D. Vance, the Republican candidate. Ryan appeared with his campaign bus to speak to a group of a few dozen people, many of which were holding “Workers First” signs which is the focus of his campaign.

Ryan advocated for reproductive rights, climate control and working-class people during his campaign stump at Plum Creek Park off Cherry Street in Kent’s Historic South End.

“I didn’t get into politics to try to help rich people. I got into politics to help working class, white or Black or brown, men or women,” Ryan said. “I’m here to fight, and so we wanted to make sure that this campaign had a focus on putting the workers at the center of the agenda.”

Ryan echoed Whaley’s message that young people are a vital part of this election. He said he’s seeing higher voter registration numbers at colleges, specifically at Kent State, where more than 1,000 new students were registered.

Regarding abortions being banned with no exceptions for rape or incest, Ryan said these are “very, very extreme positions, and they’re not the position that most Ohioans want.”

Climate control is a crucial problem that needs to be dealt with and not politicized, he said.

“I personally believe that natural gas is a part of that, but also we got to get into renewables,” Ryan said. “We got to get nuclear technologies, but we need a plan that is not going to go back and forth, Democrats and Republicans. It’s got to be a national plan and American.”

Ryan will be on campus at the Rec Center from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Election Day doing a meet and greet.

Alexandra Golden is managing editor. Contact her at [email protected].