Former President Bill Clinton will be campaigning for Hillary Clinton and Democrats in Delaware for a so-called “vote early” event Friday morning.
Clinton will be speak for 30 minutes in the Merchant Building, 236 Pennsylvania Ave., at 11 a.m., with doors opening at 10 a.m. The public must RSVP for the event at www.hillaryclinton.com.
Clinton will also be speaking in Cincinnati that afternoon.
It’s been a wild week for Delaware County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Helvey, who was in Columbus when Hillary Clinton visited Ohio State University Monday. Helvey returned to the city Thursday evening for the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual state dinner where President Barack Obama headlined the fundraiser.
It’s a convergence of past, present and possibly future presidencies of the party, Helvey said.
“To have three of them in one week is a whirlwind,” he said.
He remembered when Hillary and Obama made campaign stops at Westerville North and Central high schools, respectively, nearly at the same time. Hillary also visited Buckeye Valley High School during the primary, he said.
During the 2012 presidential election, Michelle Obama visited Delaware County twice including an October visit at Ohio Wesleyan University.
But to see a former president is a huge deal, Helvey said.
“It’s a unique opportunity to see a former president,” he said.
Clinton will help the continued efforts of his wife’s campaign operations in the county since they were established in August, Helvey said.
Her campaign hopes to snag votes from women, Asian Americans and the highly educated, Helvey said, which voted Republican in 2012 but are waning in their support for its current nominee, Donald Trump.
Delaware County has traditionally voted Republican with Obama winning about 38 percent of the county’s vote in 2012, according to the Delaware County Board of Elections.
“It’s nice to see that Bill Clinton has come to a bedrock Republican county to see what good, conservative government can do for people — like produce the fastest growth, highest income, and lowest unemployment in the state of Ohio. I think he’ll quickly see that Delaware County is Republican country,” Delaware County Republican Party Chairman Jim Schuck said in an email.
“Bill Clinton coming to town to campaign for his wife is a stark reminder of all the controversies that come with the Clintons. Bill Clinton’s post-presidential years have been full of million-dollar speaking fees in various questionable foreign countries, and a pay to play system revolving around the Clinton Foundation. It makes me shudder to think what Bill Clinton will do to make a buck while his wife is president, and the dire consequences it could have for our country.”
Early voting began Wednesday with 829 votes as of Thursday afternoon and more than 23,000 absentee ballots sent out. Karla Herron, director of Delaware County Board of Elections, said she expects about 900 people will have voted by the end of Thursday.
The Delaware County Board of Elections has scheduled the following dates and times for registered voters to vote early:
• Monday, Oct. 17 – Friday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 24 – Friday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 30, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 31 – Friday, Nov. 4 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 6, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 7, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
