LORAIN — Democratic Vice President Joe Biden is a popular ticket.
By midafternoon Friday, nearly 200 tickets had been handed out to people wanting to see Biden when he makes a campaign stop Monday at Lorain High School.
The tickets were distributed from the Obama-Biden campaign headquarters in downtown Lorain where staffers said they had served a steady stream of interested attendees.
People signed up for tickets Friday morning and then returned later in the day to pick them up, according to Jackie Rutledge, a volunteer at the Democratic headquarters in the former Ted’s Floor Coverings store.
Among those stopping in to pick up tickets was Jim Gates, a Lorain resident and lifelong Democrat.
“I’m a huge supporter,” Gates said. “Besides, this is very important to us since Lorain is my hometown.”
Gates, the father of Lorain Democratic Councilman Brian Gates, called Biden’s visit “a big boost to Lorain County. … He knows we’re here.”
Gates said he has liked Biden for years, due in large part to Biden’s non-elitist approach to life.
“There he is, 30 years in the Senate, and he took the train home every night (from Washington D.C., to Delaware) as a single dad to raise his kids,” Gates said. “He gets it. He’s a really genuine individual.”
Gates referred to the much-publicized portion of Biden’s life that followed a 1972 traffic crash in Biden’s home state of Delaware where the senator-elect’s wife, Neilia, and 13-month-old daughter were killed when their vehicle was broad-sided by a tractor-trailer rig a week before Christmas.
Biden cared for his critically injured sons, Beau and Hunter, and raised them alone for several years before marrying Jill Jacobs in 1977.
Raymonde Charles, regional press secretary for the Obama-Biden campaign, said everyone who holds a ticket will be admitted to Monday’s campaign event.
Campaign officials are asking that anyone planning to attend the Biden visit at Lorain High School be there by 1 p.m.
“There will be a line to get in,” Charles said.
The approximate time of Biden’s appearance has not yet been released.
Tickets will continue to be handed out through the weekend, Charles said.
Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.
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