But why do you think they should vote for you?

Well, every voter across the country, especially here in this district, they always ask themselves two questions when deciding who to vote for.

One, the first question, why should we fire the person that's in there now? And we know the reasons.

Yeah, he has his personal story going on, but his policies have been terrible on the families in this district.

You know, he supports the war, voted for it over six times.

He supports the blanket tariffs.

He supports the trillion dollars taken out of the health care system.

What's your diagnosis? What has the Democratic Party done wrong in the Buckeye state? And what are you trying to do differently to try and win back some of those voters that may have voted for Democrats in the past but haven't in a long while?

Given how personal your race has gotten, what do you think about how voters are responding to the attack ad on Amy Act? And I'm not comparing what has been said about you or said about Max Miller to her, but it is all treading into personal stuff.

Yeah, well, you know, voters in my district, the ones I talk to, you know, they really want campaigns to focus on the issues.

And, you know, a lot of candidates because they resort to the attack ads because they don't have anything else to offer.

You know, my opponent, for example, he's been in Congress for four years, doesn't have a single piece of legislation he could point to to say he did that for the working families in my district.

And he's voted lockstep with the policies that have got us to this point.

He's voted for the war six times.

He's voted to support the blanket tariffs.

Is this real?

Do you think people see it that way?

way?Yeah, no, I, you know, I know people who've been divorced.

I've been divorced myself, and, you know, many people go through it, and it's, it's a tough time.

But very few get, get level with these types of allegations.

And, and make no mistake, you know, these aren't one-off allegations.

These...

It's a, it's a pattern of his- of, of repeated behavior of, stretching back all the way to his high school days.

How is that feeling? How is that looking? What are voters saying to you three weeks out, uh, when they're looking at you and your opponent, um, and the fact that Republicans are dive-bombing the president into your district to save your opponent?

Can you tell us what happened during that police stop?

Well, yeah.

So, so I was arrested.

Uh, I don't understand why the, uh, why the report was written that way.

I never seen that report in all these years up until a few weeks ago.

And, um, you know, I, I'm not sure why the report was written that way, but I can say without a doubt, unapologetically, I have never touched hard drugs in my life.

Never once.

What role do you think Congress plays in regulations on that industry?

Can you tell us what happened during that police stop?

Well, yeah, so, so I was arrested.

Uh, I don't understand why the, uh, why the report was written that way.

I'd never seen that report in all these years up until a few weeks ago.

And, um, you know, I, I'm not sure why the report was written that way, but I can say without a doubt, unapologetically, I have never touched hard drugs in my life.

Never once.

Um, you know, the report was written in a way, uh, it...

What role do you think Congress plays in regulations on that industry?

Oh, yeah.

You know, me, me and my brother and sister ironworkers, we, we won't agree on anything but mess with our work.

And we'll, we'll unite faster than you can imagine, right? You know, uh, cut our benefits, and we're ready to, you know, stand up strong for each other.

You know? And, and that's how...

That's not only how our union was built, that's how our country was built.

And when you see all the division across the board in our country, uh, you know, it, it, it drives me crazy because I know personally that we all benefit when we stand together through our differences and stand for those common things that we all need, you know? We need fair wages so people can afford things.

We have to understand that.

Oh, yeah

Do voters in your state feel betrayed?

Well, voters in my district are realizing that there was a lot of promises made and not a lot of promises kept.

You know, we were told that, you know, manufacturing was going to come roaring back, that it was going to be a golden age for workers in this country.

And that hasn't happened here in this district.

And people are really fed up with, you know, people like my opponent, treating the presidency as if he's the quarterback and Congress is the offensive line.

They want to defend every possible scenario this president brings forward, no matter how indefensible it is.

And the war in Iran is a case in point.

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Basically,

we actually don't have any of Cleveland proper.

We have the western and southern suburbs of Cleveland.

And then that's the Cuyahoga County portion.

And then we have all of Medina County, all of Ashton County, and the north half of Wayne County.

But yeah, it is very spread out.

But luckily we have over 900 volunteers who are willing to help out and knock doors.

Is there a story you'd tell people like when you're when you're like about a voter you've met or about like something you just keep a touchstone as you're out there campaigning?

easy in like an urban environment, right? I feel like you're not, you got some Cleveland in there, but like you have a lot of space to cover, basically.

We actually don't have any of Cleveland proper.

We have the Western and Southern suburbs of Cleveland And then that's that's the Cuyahoga County portion.

And then we have all of Medina County, all of Ashton County and the north half of Wayne County.

But, yeah, it is very spread out.

But, you know, we luckily we have over 900 volunteers who are willing to help out and knock doors.

We're averaging over almost 4000 doors a week canvassing.

Is there a story you'd tell people like when you're when you're like about a voter you've met or about like something you just keep a touchstone as you're out there campaigning?

easy in an urban environment, right? I feel like you got some Cleveland in there, but you have a lot of space to cover, basically.

We actually don't have any of Cleveland proper.

We have the western and southern suburbs of Cleveland.

And then that's the Cuyahoga County portion.

And then we have all of Medina County, all of Ashland County, and the north half of Wayne County.

But yeah, it is very spread out.

But luckily we have over 900 volunteers who are willing to help out and knock doors.

Is there a story you'd tell people like when you're when you're like about a voter you've met or about like something you just keep a touchstone as you're out there campaigning?

So, so talk, talk to me about that.

Well, um, you know, my, my daughters had fun with that ad and, um, you know, they make fun of their dad all the time, so why not do it on camera, right? [chuckles] Um, but it really was just a good opportunity to give people a window into my life.

You know, what I've been fighting for, what I've been working for all these years, and, and the type of representative I'll be.

You know, I'm, I'm literally the guy next door.

The, the guy down the street, help the old lady with his, with her garbage, and, um, you know.

I wanted to highlight that, you know? And people were like, "Well, you made this ad to put a mirror up to Max Miller." And like, no, I, I didn't.

I did it to- Give people a view of my daily life and the love I have for my daughters and how much they love their dad.

You know, over time it's just gotten worse and worse and worse to the point where people are like, 'All right, we gotta change it.' But what does that mean directionally, right? And so I think we're in, 'What are you gonna do for me?' You know, people are saying, you know, "Brian, what, how are you gonna change the game?" So I'll let you deliver that final message before we go, which is, you know, what are you gonna do? You know, how, how is this gonna be different? How is this not just a return to politics as usual and we get rid of an awful Max Miller, we get a family man, Brian, but, you know, it's still politics in DC? How can you assure the voters this is different?

So, so talk, talk to me about that.

Well, um, you know, my, my daughters had fun with that ad and, um, you know, they make fun of their dad all the time, so why not do it on camera, right? [laughs] Um, but it really was just a good opportunity to give people a window into my life, you know, what I've been fighting for, what I've been working for all these years, and, and the type of representative I'll be.

You know, I'm, I'm literally the guy next door, the, the guy down the street, helped the old lady with his, with her garbage, and, um, you know, I wanted to highlight that, you know? And people were like, "Well, you made this ad to put a mirror up to Max Miller." And, like, no, I, I didn't.

I did it to give people a view of my daily life and the love I have for my daughters and how much they love their dad.

Um, if it holds a mirror up to Max Miller, that's something he's gotta worry about.

Um, you know, I didn't...

You know, my whole campaign is built on a message of positivity, built on a message of uniting people, because the only way we're gonna get out of this mess is together.

How can you assure the voters this is different?

I just, I wonder how much $500 can really motivate and help people right now.

Yeah, $500 isn't much, and it isn't gonna last very long, but people need real relief.

And you know, the, you know, uh, diesel's at all-time highs.

Gasoline's all-time highs.

It's because, you know, people like my opponent have voted numerous times, five times in my opponent's case, to support this war in Iran that's driven up costs across the board.

I mean, everything that, uh, we buy is on a truck at one point or another, and, um, it's gonna make that cost go up.

You know, I, I see farmers in the southern part of my district who are having, uh, more costs inflated because, uh, you know, farm diesel are even higher than, uh, regular truck diesel.

And I guess I want your take on what that says, um, not just about, uh, this race and your opponent, but what kind of message that sends fundamentally to the people of Ohio, that, that they're going to commit money to this person in spite of all of that.

Is Max Miller doing his job as a member of a co-equal branch of government?

No, and Max Miller isn't doing his job, and there's a lot of politicians who aren't doing their jobs.

I think some members of Congress think that they are the offensive line and the president is the quarterback, and they're there to protect him no matter what, and that's not the case.

Congress should be standing up for the rights of Congress.

It is a co-equal branch of government.

And me, I've had to do it on a city council where I've had to stand up to the mayor, even though I'll agree with the mayor on some things, but My job is to stand up for the people, stand up for the residents of Brook Park.

And I want to get into Congress to stand up for the American people who are being hurt by these policies.

As you've been on the campaign trail, has there been any conversation or moment with any Republican or independent voter that's stuck out to you?

Right.

You know? Um, and, and, you know, they were, they were promised all these things.

Uh, you know, the one big beautiful bill was supposed to be prosperous for Americans.

And really what it is, it's just highlighting the fact that we have a group of politicians who just wanna extract as much value out of, out of our communities and out, out of our country to enrich themselves when...

A- and they're already rich.

Like, they're trying to get richer and richer and richer, and, and we're paying for it.

You know, we see the Dow going up every single day, um, you know, but at the same time, food lines are getting longer and longer every day.

As you've been on the campaign trail, has there been any conversation or moment with any Republican or Independent voter that's, uh, that's stuck out to you?

But if those issues weren't in play, would this district still be winnable?

Oh, absolutely.

One, because of the policies that my opponent has supported.

But two, you know, I'm from the heart of the district, a union iron worker for 20 years, blue collar worker in a district made up of people who work hard for a living.

You know, that's that's one of the things my district is known for is, you know, we have that Midwestern work ethic.

We show up early.

You know, we we put in a long day's work.

When you meet and talk to voters, some of whom I imagine are Trump voters and even Republicans, are they worried about Democratic socialism, is that something that they bring up to you? Because Republicans on the Hill repeatedly, to me and other reporters, are making this a referendum about socialism.

So what has happened? And what has happened in Ohio specifically that has made that such an impossible dream for people to attain at this point?

Well, what's happened is very simple.

Since the Reagan era with the trickle-down economics, it really put corporate profits in overdrive.

And it's being paid for, you know, the corporate profits surging are being paid for off the backs of the working families, not only in Ohio, across this entire country.

You know, we see it every day that Dow hits a new record, you know, and corporations and the wealthy and well-connected are doing great.

But I just volunteered for a food distribution center in Medina County just last week, and they also have a record number of people coming through the lines.

And there's no clear indication that the average working family is having a harder time making it and the Dow is breaking records.

How are you seeing the sort of like the narrative shift in the conversation around government services and like the evil socialism? Um, in the circles that you're in, where it is unique because of your union background.

What does that gap, gap tell you about the opportunity you're seeing in this race?

Well, it tells me that he's got real problems in his personal life and in his, uh, congressional life.

Um, you know, he's been absent in the district over four years, hasn't held any town halls.

Uh, he, he plans events and cancels them.

Um, and, and really, you know, he doesn't have any policy, uh, that, victories that he can point to and say, "Hey, I did this for you," because people are feeling the effects of all the votes he's taken.

And, um, you know, all he has is lies and, uh, and smear tactics, and people are tired of that type of campaigning and that type of politics, and I'm showing them a different way.

I show up to events.

What does your specific pl- wh- what does your specific plan to help rebuild that relationship look like?

Other than the scandal, which is a big deal, have the politics in Ohio 7 changed since 2024? Well,

you know, Ohio has always been a state that has, you know, shifted direction.

you know, Republican, Democrat, Republican, Democrat over, you know, my whole lifetime.

And, you know, what it boils down to is the people in this district are hardworking people, very pro-union state.

My district in particular, very pro-union, very pro-worker.

And I believe the politician who can capture the message of fighting for workers does well.

You know, this is a district that Sherrod Brown won in 2018 when he ran for Senate.

Is that a correct Yeah,

Have you been able to talk to some of those Trump voters? And, and do you find them receptive to the argument that maybe they made a mistake by voting for him, and that Trump has made things work, and that, you know, they might be open to sw- voting for a Democrat this time, um, to kind of correct that?

Yeah.

I'm not, um, I'm not afraid to talk to anybody.

Um, you know, I've, I've talked to, uh, people who voted for Trump in the past, people who voted for, uh, Biden, and everybody in between.

Um, you know, not afraid to have those conversations.

Uh, you know, it-- to me it's not, it's not about a Republican and Democrat issue.

It's worker to worker issue.

What, what, what happened? And, like, what do you think, what did that experience teach you that has been valuable in later life?

So talk us through how unions protect iron workers and, and a little bit about how, about y- you know, how unions and the Democratic Party.

Well, yeah, that's a story I really like to tell.

I have a lot of experience and, you know, I wanna make, uh, one thing known.

I wasn't always a union member.

I got in the union at 27 years old.

Up until that point, I, you know, I started i- in a machine shop.

I went and worked in kitchens, w- worked in factories, always looking for a better job until I found that better job in the union.

And I'd love you to talk about what the, what the district looks like and how you're winning there.

Yeah.

And, um, you know, especially, like, since two, uh, 2016, when, uh, Donald Trump came on scene, you know, he, he came in on a message of bringing back a golden age for workers.

Um, you know, but what, what people are seeing is, you know, we didn't get that golden age.

We got the golden shower instead, and it's harder for people to make a living, uh, here under his policies.

And I think you're gonna see a trend more back towards those we know who are gonna fight for workers.

Like, we have Sherrod Brown on the ballot.

Um, yeah, Trump won this district by 11 points, but Sherrod Brown would have won this district in 2018, you know? And because he's always had that message of fighting for workers.

Talk to me about a conversation that you've had with a voter, maybe a Democratic voter, maybe an independent or even a Republican, that stuck with you.

But in this age of entrenched partisanship, do allegations, even of the heinous nature that these are, Does it sink in with voters or from the other side? Or can you actually persuade them and move them away from Donald Trump?

Well, we've seen time and time again over recent cycles that having a bad opponent isn't enough to win a race.

And we didn't get into this race because Max Miller is terrible in his personal life.

We got into it because the issues that he supports have made it harder on working families.

And that's why we've continued to work since day one.

Whether he dropped out of the race and they replaced him, whether he stays in the race, we're going to work hard.

Every day, as hard as we possibly can, talking to more people, bringing people together from all political walks of life.

And Brian, before we're out of time, given Senator Moreno's public support for his daughter, I'm wondering if the senator or anyone associated with his office or campaign office has reached out for you either to offer advice, coordination or any support.

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it's been frozen there since 2009 and uh what have costs done since 2009 they've continued to skyrocket and um that gives you know that gives everybody up the rung of the ladder um less upward mobility when the bottom's so low i've heard it in my own career you know i've heard people say well if you don't like it here You can always go work at McDonald's or go work somewhere else for minimum wage.

And that's a scare tactic to keep people obedient, to keep people, you know, continuing to just work and without lifting their heads up to see what's really happening.

You know, I was fortunate enough in my career to become a union member and, you know, earn a much better wage than I had prior to.

It gave me a little breathing room.

No, I'm still not rich by any means, but I could pay my bills, have a little extra, maybe go on vacation once a year with the family.

but really lift my head up and look around and see what's happening to my friends and family and neighbors and realize that everyone has just fallen further and further behind.

For a lot of people who don't have that kind of job where they're making big six-figure salaries and they just get screwed and we end up with DoorDash grandmas and that sort of thing, what can be done to fix that? Because I know it's something that you've been talking about on the campaign.

Why do you believe that hill is climbable?

Because I'm approaching it just like I have in my whole life.

I, you know, one foot in front of the other, talking to people from all across the political spectrum.

And, you know, make no mistake, Trump did win it by 11, but this is a district that shared round runs well in because it's, it's, Whichever candidate can capture the attention of the workers in this district who say, hey, I'm going to fight for you, that's who they tend to vote for.

And President Trump came on scene with a message of bringing back manufacturing, making it a golden age for workers.

And that just hasn't realized.

And, you know, that's why I believe even before anybody else in the country took notice of our race.

Why did they? And do you sense maybe for the first time since that era began in 2016, some estrangement from Trump among your iron worker friends?