"Yep," said a woman near the back of the crowd seated in a union hall, out of earshot of a small group of supporters of Republican Donald Trump shouting from across the street. One man held a sign urging Democrats to "cross over," something many are doing this year in this key swing state.

Over a two-day bus tour through parts of Ohio hollowed out by the loss of manufacturing and mining jobs, Bill Clinton is trying to persuade disaffected Democrats that they are too smart to fall for Trump's populism or protectionism. It's a tough sell, even with fresh ammunition — the news that Trump used dumped Chinese steel in building construction. The Clinton campaign has argued for months that Trump's common man outreach is a sham. The campaign has rolled out contractors and small business owners who say they were cheated by the real estate mogul.

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"The majority of UAW members do support Hillary, because they know that she's always been a strong backer of unions and organized labor," said Tim O'Hara, 57, of Youngstown. "We do have a certain percentage that are supporting her opponent."

O'Hara is vice president of UAW Local 1112 in Lordstown, where a General Motors plant employs about 4,500 and President Obama's 2009 auto bailout is credited with saving livelihoods. Still, Trump holds considerable sway with some union members there, O'Hara said.

"They seem to be thinking that Trump is going to provide something that is possibly missing," he said. "I don't know if they think he's going to take them back to a different age and time when they perceive America was great."

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O'Hara and other Clinton supporters are pushing the Chinese steel issues hard, along with Trump's history of outsourcing the manufacturing of his branded products. "Obviously some of our members and, you know, voters in general just no matter what he says or does they're going to vote for him," O'Hara said.

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Bill Clinton's pitch is sunnier. He told audiences across southern and eastern Ohio this week that the country is on the cusp of an economic renaissance that can benefit everyone. But he returned frequently to the theme that the potential could easily be wasted.

"Are we going to build walls or bridges? All over the world, people are facing this, and lots of those people have said, 'Oh no, I want the walls. I can't stand all this change. I want to go inside, close the door, turn the lights off and hope when I wake up in a few years it'll be better,'" Clinton said.

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"This is understandable. I completely understand what is going on. But it's not the right decision."

Addressing a mostly white, blue-collar audience in this former steel town, Clinton tried a twist on one of Trump's strongest suits — the idea that after eight years of a Democratic president, it's time for a change.

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"It's all doable," Clinton said of his wife's plans to add jobs, repair infrastructure, raise incomes and expand the Affordable Care Act, among other things. "It's a question of whether you believe we're better off in this election lashing out in anger, or embracing answers. Are we better off voting our resentments or wanting to be empowered?"

Referring to the former secretary of state, senator and first lady, Clinton said: "She has done a lot of things in her life, always to make a positive change. Is this a change election? You bet it is, but you've got to pick the right change."

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He then quoted a line he said he borrowed from a Texan friend, drawing laughs with an exaggerated drawl. "If you don't want somebody to drive a truck off the cliff, don't give 'em the keys," Clinton said.

Hillary Clinton trails Trump here by nearly four percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, although Democrats see a shift in momentum after Trump's poor debate performance last week.

Ohio "could make the difference," Bill Clinton said at a stop at an Italian restaurant in Niles later in the day,

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"It's full of working people and untapped potential," Clinton said. "I am trying to convince people that we ought to be upbeat about our prospects for the future instead of treating politics like a blood sport."

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Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat who is losing badly to Republican incumbent Rob Portman in what had once been considered a competitive Senate race here, shared a stage with Clinton on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Rep. Tim Ryan (D) was with Clinton at stops along the bus tour, warming up the union crowd with a quote from his "little old Italian grandmother."

"Due face — two faces. Donald Trump's got two faces," Ryan said, listing Trump's use of Chinese steel in his buildings and what Ryan said is a record of stiffing contractors and hurting unions. "He's got two faces, and he's trying to sell us some snake oil in the Mahoning Valley. And we're not going to let him sell it and send him on out of here."

Ryan had a much blunter message "to our guys in the trades" who are drawn to Trump's message.