Even though it was early in the morning Thursday, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook was more than fired up when he addressed the Ohio delegation, a full 12 hours before Mrs. Clinton made American history as the first woman candidate for president for a major political party.

Mook preceded other speaks who lambasted Republicans in general and Donald Trump specifically, for many of the party’s far-right platform ideas and for all of Donald Trump’s incoherent at best and what three-term Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, called insane ideas.

Maybe it was for lack of sleep over the last three days this week, or just sheer pent up adrenaline rising to the occasion, but Robby Mook was a walking ball of fire.

Knowing well who his audience was, Mook proudly offered his bona fides on being a long-time Buckeye at heart. He was born in Vermont and voted for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders three times, he noted, but with pride he revealed another aspect of his biography. Many others in his family, from parents to grandparents, had their roots in Ohio—from Defiance to Toledo to Cleveland. Mr. Mook’s mom and dad live in Cleveland Heights.

The live wire that he was on Thursday, Robby Mook said with some electricity that his great grandfather ran for Cleveland Heights city council as a Republican and lost. “Let’s keep up the streak,” he said with joy in his voice.

He asked Ohioans to elect Ted Strickland over Rob Portman, applauded Congressman Tim Ryan, who was also present, and asked Ohio if they can give Democratic State Senator Joe Schiavoni a Democratic Senate. Strickland is in a dead-heat race with Portman, but since Republicans have controlled the Senate uninterrupted since 1984, the wish for Schiavoni is likely a bridge to far this election year.

What Mook said to close out his remarks, though, was the important message of the day.

“I really want to thank David Pepper for a lot of things, but in particular, today in Ohio the ground game is already set up. The last time I was at a Democratic convention working for a presidential campaign, it was John Kerry’s, We were just getting the plans together, just getting started. And today, because of the leadership of everybody in this room, and Chairman Pepper, we are organized, we have organizers throughout the state, we are getting voters registered, and we are running a coordinated campaign, up and down the ticket, to elect democrats at all levels of government.”