Democrat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown attended a Hollywood fundraiser in California over the weekend as residents of East Palestine in his home state struggle amid the toxic chemical spill.
The fundraiser occurred in the Hollywood Hills on Saturday. Jill Goldman, who previously served on Obama’s National Finance Committee and who co-hosted the event, hailed Sherrod Brown as a “progressive champion” in an Instagram post.
“If you know me you know I have been a big fan of Sherrod’s for years !! Sherrod is a progressive champion who wins in a tough state like Ohio because Ohioans know he fights for them in the workplace,” she wrote.
“His Dignity of Work message enables him to reach those Trump voters even though he has been pro-choice his whole career, gets an F from the NRA and has been for marriage equality since he voted against DOMA in the 199os,” she added.
Goldman lamented that Sherrod will be in for a tough reelection campaign in the state of Ohio, which has slowly been trending red in recent years, having swung for President Donald Trump twice and electing Republican Sen. J.D. Vance over Democrat Tim Ryan.
Fox News digital asked Brown’s campaign why he visited California to fundraise in Hollywood while the residents of East Palestine deal with a toxic disaster but received no response as of this writing.
Sherrod Brown’s website notes that he visited East Palestine in early February where he met with residents of the town.
“I’m here today to listen the people this disaster is hurting the most – the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communities. My office and I are exploring every option. Since the day of the derailment, I’ve been talking with EPA, NTSB, and CDC. And we’ve sent them letters calling for action and for recommendations to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Brown. “We are going to get this community answers and we are going to make sure they have the help they need.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not visit East Palestine until last week as residents of the area still believe that the federal government has not done enough to aid the situation.