Pence in Ashland: Election choice between up and down

ASHLAND - The Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said this election is the most dramatic choice of his lifetime.

Speaking to crowd of nearly 1,000 people at a campaign stop at Ashland University on Tuesday, Pence invoked a speech by Ronald Reagan, saying the choice Americans face is not between left and right or Republican and Democrat, but between up and down.

"It's whether we're going to continue to go down the hill to a weaker America on the world stage, more emboldened adversaries and competitors, turning our back on those that stand for our freedom. We can stifle the American economy, denying opportunities to our children and grandchildren, walking farther away from our constitutional ideals," he said. "Or whether we are going to, in this moment as Americans, stop, plant our feet, turn and march back up the hill to a stronger America and a more prosperous America."

Pence's speech began shortly after 2 p.m. in Myers Convocation Center and lasted about 40 minutes. The event was open to the public, but tickets were required.

In the course of his speech, Pence promised Donald J. Trump will end illegal immigration, stop Syrian refugees from entering the country, hunt down and destroy ISIS, cut taxes, end the "war on coal," support law enforcement, renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, repeal the Affordable Care Act and each of President Barack Obama's executive orders and nominate Supreme Court justices who will uphold a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

The Republican vice presidential candidate painted Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as the "status quo" and "establishment" candidate, and Trump as a candidate who will fight for change.

Pence told the audience not to be fooled by the media, which he called willfully ignorant about Clinton's shortcomings.

"It's like the media is out there doing half the work of the Hillary Clinton campaign, but Donald Trump is out there winning hearts and minds every day. … She may have the money, the media and the special interests on her side, but we've got everyday Americans on our side," he said.

People in the crowd chanted "lock her up" as Pence criticized Clinton for using a private email server and then deleting emails as secretary of state. He also accused her of leaving Americans in harm's way in Benghazi.

"The American people are sick and tired of pay-to-play politics and benefits that favor the few in Washington, D.C. Donald Trump has a plan to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C." Pence said.

For Pence, Trump stands in contrast to the establishment.

"I really do believe Donald Trump embodies the spirit of America — strong, freedom-loving, independent, optimistic and willing to fight every single day for what he believes in. He's going to fight all the way to the White House."

Among the crowd for Pence's speech was Don McCracken, 70, of Ashland. McCracken said he has been a Trump supporter since before the primary election.

"He's sort of outspoken and he doesn't really think before he speaks, but a lot of what he's saying is what we want to see happen, too," McCracken said, adding that top issues for him are abortion and national defense.

Ariel White, 24, of Mansfield attended the rally in a Trump T-shirt.

"I like his ideals and his plans for the future and where he wants to take America. Just everything about him — the way he wants to put up the wall, the way he wants to fix our healthcare, the way he wants to cut taxes, the way he wants to raise taxes for companies that outsource jobs. Pretty much anything he says I agree with."

White's mother, Brenda, a 56-year-old from Lorain, said she and her daughter have never been as excited about a presidential candidate as they are about Trump.

"I went from an independent to a Republican just to vote for Trump. … He's our last hope," she said.

While a majority of the audience members have already made up their minds to vote for the Republican candidate and many were happy to support Trump, others, like 42-year-old Heather Hood of Bloomville, said they are casting a vote against Clinton rather than for Trump.

"I think if her lips are moving, you can't trust her," Tom Goldsmith, 53, of Ashland said of Clinton.

Goldsmith said he likes Pence, and while he is less enthusiastic about Trump than about his running mate, he prefers Trump over Clinton.

Student volunteers from Ashland University were stationed outside Tuesday's event, signing attendees up to help with the campaign. These students were not part of the university's College Republicans chapter, which has not endorsed Trump.

"I think we all need to unite. We have all these different groups who do and don't support Trump," said freshman Nathan McVicar, who was among the handful of volunteers. "If we don't unite, that gives his opponent an advantage."

Pence stopped in Swanton, Ohio, on Tuesday morning and in Marietta on Tuesday evening. At one point in his Ashland speech, the vice presidential candidate forgot where he would be speaking next and joked that while he has been practically meeting himself coming and going as he campaigns for Trump, he is in a good mood because he believes the Trump movement is growing and will prevail.

Prior to Pence's arrival Tuesday, the most recent official campaign visit to Ashland from a presidential or vice presidential candidate was in 1996 from Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, according to Roger Beckett, executive director of the university's Ashbrook Center.

The Ashland visit comes just one day after Donald Trump Jr. stopped at Ashland outdoors store Fin, Feather and Fur Outfitters to campaign for his father. That event drew a few hundred people.