"We need a president who stands up for your jobs as much as he fights for his own job," Edwards told a crowd of hundreds at an outdoor rally in Warren.
Earlier in the day, he addressed a smaller group at a community center in Huff, a blighted, predominantly African American neighborhood in Cleveland. Pastors and other residents pressed him on social issues, such as how he and Kerry would deal with parolees returning to communities where jobs are scarce and education expensive.
In his response, Edwards attacked the Bush administration by contending that it "is content to spend $50,000 on housing young people in prison for a long time." But, Edwards said, "how about spending $10,000 on a young person to get them involved in life?"
Both the Kerry and Bush campaigns have focused on Ohio, a key swing state. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D), who represents Cleveland, said that her constituents are frustrated by administration policies.
"People want to be homeowners, but they're frustrated by the process and by being left out," she said.
In a multi-state trip that began Saturday, Edwards has also kept the pressure on Bush to denounce the ads that have questioned Kerry's military record. At each stop, he has been joined by veterans and politicians who repeated his challenge to Bush.
Rep. Timothy J. Ryan (D-Ohio) told the crowd in Warren that "it's time for President Bush to not only apologize to Senator Kerry but also apologize to every single decorated veteran, because when you call into question the service of a volunteer, you call into question the service of every veteran in the United States, and we're not going to let that happen!"
The enthusiastic crowd chanted, "Outsource Bush!"
Nakamura is traveling with Edwards.
