U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur hasn’t made an official endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary, but she’ll be watching one candidate closely in Thursday’s debate.
“I’m very favorably disposed toward Joe Biden,” she told The Blade this week.
The longest-serving woman in the U.S. House, Miss Kaptur said she knows many of the candidates running to replace President Trump, but cited the connections and experience of the former vice president, who spent three decades in Congress. She called him “fair-minded” and praised his work on the auto industry bailout.
“Joe Biden doesn’t need any training wheels,” the Toledo Democrat said. “We have to have someone in there who’s going to put Humpty Dumpty together again quickly.”
“It isn’t that the others don’t have qualities that are admirable, and they’re trying their hearts out,” she continued. “But I don’t think America can afford any more dismemberment in terms of our foreign policy.”
Mr. Biden, who is clinging to his status as an early front-runner despite losing ground in recent polls, has so far racked up the most endorsements in the race, according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight.
But none have come from Ohio. Cleveland Rep. Marcia Fudge has endorsed California Sen. Kamala Harris. Ohio Democratic National Committee member and former Cleveland City Council member Nina Turner is the national co-chair for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Northeast Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan is also still in the race, even with weak polling in his home state.
In 2016, Miss Kaptur was the only member of Ohio’s Democratic House delegation to back Mr. Sanders over Hillary Clinton.
“I will support the Democratic nominee,” Miss Kaptur said. “I know a number of these individuals, and I actually supported Bernie Sanders last time because I thought that he would be stronger on ... trade and manufacturing.”
Miss Kaptur hopes these issues are discussed when the Democratic candidates come to Ohio next month to debate. Party officials haven’t yet announced the city where it will be held. This week’s debate is in Houston.
The Detroit debate fell short of her expectations, Miss Kaptur said. She hopes the questions asked in Ohio focus on Midwest issues.
“They better talk about trade. They better talk about our international economic relations and how they’re going to bring down this trade deficit and start creating good jobs in our country,” she said.
“That convening they had in Michigan could have been held in Washington, D.C., where not a single car is made, where nothing is manufactured. Watching it I thought to myself, ‘Why did they go to Michigan? There wasn’t a question about the Great Lakes. What about Asian carp? What about all the things we’re facing in our region with algal blooms and all that?’”
First Published September 11, 2019, 6:08 p.m.
