Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown announces 'dignity of work' tour of 4 key voting states, signaling imminent 2020 presidential bid

• Ohio. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he is embarking on a listening tour of the first key voting states ahead of a potential run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
• In an interview on MSNBC Tuesday night, Brown said his "dignity of work" tour will take him though Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
• Brown was reelection to the Senate in 2018.
• His tenure in Congress has had an economic focus, serving as the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

WASHINGTON — Ohio. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he is embarking on a tour of the first key voting states ahead of a potential run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

In an interview on MSNBC Tuesday night, Brown said his "dignity of work" tour that will start in Ohio. Additionally, the tour will take Brown through Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, the first four states in the Democratic primary schedule.

"I was to continue to learn about the dignity of work — whether you swipe a card, whether you punch a clock; whether you work for tips, whether you work on salary, whether you're taking care of kids. And I want to hear from people around, and I want this conversation and this dignity of work tour to encourage my colleagues running for president that this should be the narrative."

"It's the best way to govern, fighting for the dignity of work, and it's the best way to win elections."

When asked directly whether he plans to run for president, Brown said "we will make that decision in the weeks ahead."

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Brown has openly backed the tariff policies implemented by President Donald Trump, but opposed the White House in many other ways.

In 2017, Brown unveiled a 77-page economic plan to counter what he views as poor policy from the Trump administration.

"We need to rethink how we talk about the economy," Brown said in a speech following the release of his economic plan. "Instead of individual solutions to niche problems, we need to offer universal solutions to a universal problem — the declining value of work."

"That's what this plan is for — to make life better for all workers," he added. "Every single one of them."

In the Senate, Brown has served as the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. In addition, he also sits on the Senate's Finance, Agriculture, and Veterans' Affairs committees.

Brown handily won his 2018 reelection bid in Ohio, despite Republicans performing well in other races across the state. He defeated Republican Rep. Jim Renacci by six points, while Ohio's gubernatorial, attorney general, and many House races swung in the GOP's favor.

Since then, Brown has made an effort to stay in the public eye, holding virtual town halls and regular appearances on television.

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