Norwalk, Ohio - If Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is going to win what even top members of his own party acknowledge is his hardest election yet, the senator will need voters like Richard Berger.

Berger, who attended a roundtable on veterans issues at the VFW in Norwalk last week, voted for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020. The 73-year old Vietnam veteran, however, has also consistently voted for Brown – and plans to do so again in 2024.

“He just comes across as a genuine person and not a typical politician,” Berger said. He had just watched Brown moderate a roundtable about everything from a bill he passed dealing with toxic burn pits, veteran suicide and job prospects for returning servicemembers. When asked about what drew him to Brown, Berger focused more on personality than policy.

“He doesn't come in with a swagger,” Berger said, parodying a politician by looking down his nose and shimmying his shoulders. “He is just a down-to-earth person.”