Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Hamilton, Ohio, on Saturday to speak at the Cincinnati AFL‑CIO’s annual Labor Day picnic. The former South Bend mayor used the gathering of union members and their families to endorse two Ohio Democrats who are in the thick of the 2026 midterm battles.
Buttigieg’s message to working families
Addressing a crowd of union members, retirees and community leaders, Buttigieg warned that the current administration has failed to translate broad public agreement into concrete policy. “For everything we’re fighting about right now, the biggest outrage to me is that there are so many things we actually agree on as Americans, and they can’t get it done,” he said, referencing the Trump administration.
He stressed that most Americans share common goals: a single job that pays enough to thrive, wages that reflect a hard day’s work, and quality health care that is a guarantee, not a privilege. Buttigieg argued that Ohio needs leaders who understand those goals because they have lived them.
Endorsing Amy Acton for governor
Buttigieg highlighted Amy Acton’s personal story, noting she grew up in Youngstown, lived in a tent at age 12, and rose to become Ohio’s former director of public health, steering the state through the worst health crisis in a century. “She knows firsthand why families are squeezed and what needs to change in Columbus,” Buttigieg said.
Acton, 60, is the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor. Polls cited in the original report show a neck‑and‑neck race with Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. In her own remarks, Acton emphasized her union roots, recalling her grandfather’s work in the steel mills and the pride of being a union member.
Greg Landsman seeks a third term in Congress
Buttigieg also praised Congressman Greg Landsman, who is running for a third term in Ohio’s 1st Congressional District. Landsman first won the seat in 2022 after redistricting made the district more favorable to Democrats. This year, the Ohio Redistricting Commission has again shifted the map, giving Republicans a stronger edge.
In his speech, Landsman spoke about his upbringing in a pro‑union, pro‑working‑family household and his work securing funding for quality preschool programs in Cincinnati. He argued that hard‑working parents should be able to afford early‑education options for their children.
Local impact and voter outlook
The picnic underscored the importance of labor support in southwestern Ohio’s upcoming elections. Both Acton and Landsman are positioning themselves as the contrast to the divisive national rhetoric coming from Washington, promising stability and economic opportunity for working people.
While the Trump administration continues to push policies that many Ohio voters view as hostile to labor, Buttigieg’s appearance signals that national Democratic figures are willing to travel to the heartland to rally union backing.
Voters in Hamilton, Cincinnati and the surrounding counties will head to the polls later this year, where tight margins are expected in both the gubernatorial and congressional contests. The endorsements from a high‑profile figure like Buttigieg could prove decisive in a region where union affiliation remains strong.
Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.
