WASHINGTON (WJW) — Ohio’s outgoing U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown , D- Cleveland , on Tuesday delivered his final speech on the Senate floor, reflecting on his years of service and “the fight for the dignity of work.”
Brown, 72, one of the state’s longest-serving elected officials, was ousted in the Nov. 5 general election by Republican businessman Bernie Moreno.
Brown, at times, moved to tears, recounted a decades-long campaign to challenge corporate interests on behalf of American workers, fighting against “bad trade deals,” fighting for saving pensions and fighting to grow wages — “until everyone has a path to the middle class.”
Victories he marked Tuesday included expansion of the Child Tax Credit, capping insulin prices through Medicaid and work to restore full Social Security benefits for public servants.
“True populism lifts people up – all people. True populism doesn’t tear others down. True populism doesn’t play to race and division,” he said.
“True populism is about the dignity of work – putting workers at the center.”