On Monday night, about 50 local citizens and politicians gathered at the Pigskin Bar and Grille, 38 N. Court St., for sandwiches, cold beer and to rub elbows with state Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville.
The gathering was to raise money for Gentile, an incumbent representing Ohio's 30th district who is trying to hold off Republican challenger Frank Hoagland for the senate seat.
"You have a candidate who is self-serving, versus a candidate who is about public service," Gentile told the audience.
Gentile spent most of the evening making his way around the restaurant, shaking hands and speaking with supporters. After an hour, John Haseley, Athens county democratic party chair, went to the back of the restaurant and picked up a microphone to address the crowd.
"I don't hear anybody saying Hoagland's name in Athens," Haseley said. "He doesn't come here because he doesn't care about this county."
Haseley told the speakers not to sniffle while holding the microphone, a jab at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, before passing the microphone off to state representative candidate Sarah Grace. Grace thanked the attendees for the support and called Athens "such a wonderful blue bubble" in southeast Ohio. Athens Mayor Steve Patterson also spoke on Gentile's behalf.
There were several local politicians who did not speak before the crowd but nonetheless were in attendance to show their support, such as county commissioners Charles Adkins and Lenny Eliason and County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn
"We built up a relationship with (Gentile)," Eliason said. "He's always been there for us, even during the tough times."
Geoff Dabelko, a professor in Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs who volunteered for the local Democratic party with Haseley while in high school, said Gentile was effective because he had the ability to engage with people who did not share his political views.
"He comes to the job with an open mind" Dabelko said. "He addresses the complexity of the issues instead of turning it into a bumper sticker."
Another citizen supporting Gentile was Kevin Martin. Martin, like Gentile's opponent Hoagland, is a veteran. But Martin said the country needs experienced politicians, not political outsiders.
"Mr. Hoagland is a no-name, Johnny-come-lately," Martin said. "We don't need people who have never been involved with politics."
Other than the Haseley's jab at Trump, the presidential campaign was not mentioned. When asked if he would be supporting other Democratic candidates, Gentile said he was focusing on his campaign.
"I speak for Lou Gentile," he said. "I'm trying to get re-elected to state senate."
