It was officially announced this week that both of the major parties’ candidates for governor will be making stops in Lawrence County next Saturday.

Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Richard Cordray will be in town for events, with Cordray speaking at an Ohio University rally and DeWine, accompanied by his running mate, Jon Husted, attending a farm fundraiser for county Republicans.

It is good to see that both parties are not neglecting the southern part of the state when it comes to getting their message out.

Lawrence County may not have the population of a large metropolis like Columbus or Cleveland, but it has its share of pressing issues, many of which are shared by rural areas across the state.

In an era of unregulated campaign finance and multi-million dollar television ad campaigns, it is good to see that candidates are still making the effort to bring their message to all parts of the state, in person, and are seeing the value of first hand meetings with voters.

Let’s hope that, no matter who wins, an emphasis on the people of rural Ohio will remain.