Obama tells Ohioans to reject two years of chaos

Former President Barack Obama declared that Ohio voters have the power to stop a streak of government mismanagement on Saturday.

He accused the current administration of pursuing an unnecessary war between the United States and Iran. Obama described the conflict as a decision made by a president who made a series of poor choices. He placed the cost of that war at $2 trillion, a figure he cited to illustrate the financial burden on the nation.

Obama stood on stage alongside Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and former Senator Sherrod Brown. Brown is running against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted. The former president spoke directly to the crowded audience about the state of the country. He told them to end the cycle of what he called cruelty and corruption.

"After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, 'Enough is enough,'" Obama said.

The rally focused on the intense fight for Ohio's governorship. A recent advertisement by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy targeted Acton's personal history. In the spot, Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, disputes her daughter's account of childhood homelessness and abuse by a stepfather. Acton states she has not seen her mother since 1978. Her brother supports her claim that the stepfather, who died in 2004, raped her.

Obama defended Acton's decision to run despite the personal attacks. He said she spoke movingly about her painful past. Current polling gives Democrats a slight lead in both Ohio races, but analysts expect the final results to be close.