2018 OHIO MIDTERM ELECTIONS
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SHERROD BROWN (D)
“Voice” successfully uses ethos, logos, and pathos to draw the audience in and make Sherrod Brown a more desirable candidate by showing his involvement with the opioid epidemic.
In his "Dignity" campaign ad, although Sherrod Brown effectively communicates his thoughts and emotions on unions in Ohio, the undecided workers of Ohio may question his credibility because of the lack of facts and statistics.
In his speech, Brown uses ethos effectively for his unintended audience, Ohio citizens, but not for his intended audience, the Senate.
Because of his failure to establish credibility and lack of logical reasoning for his claim, Brown’s argument is unsuccessful in persuading his audience that “all work has dignity."
JIM RENACCI (R)
Renacci effectively convinces his audience of Ohio voters that the federal minimum wage should not be raised through logos.
Jim Renncci’s victory speech effectively influences his active republican voters to vote him into senate through his credibility in the political field, and reassuring his republican voters that he will spread Trump’s agenda in Ohio. However, it may be an ineffective speech for undecided voters because Renncci’s agenda holds many similarities to Donald Trump’s agenda, such as immigration laws and health care. If those undecided voters are not Trump supporters, then the speech is not effective for persuading those voters to vote for him.
Renacci uses compelling statistics and his connection to a location drastically affected by the opioid epidemic to validate his argument. This appeal to ethos and pathos, combined with his professional tone, creates an effective argument for why The House should pass his bipartisan bill, the “Strengthening Partnerships to Prevent Opioid Abuse Act.”
Renacci’s attempt to coax Orrin Hatch and Sherrod Brown to come up with a solution to the problems with the multiemployer pension programs in Ohio is successful because of his use of logos and pathos.
Though Brown successfully used emotion to pull at heartstrings, he did not provide any statistics to convince Congress completely to pass the new commonsense gun laws.
Although Brown is attempting to appeal to pathos in his advertisement, he fails at conveying any convincing imagery or dialogue.