Actor Daly stumps for Clinton in Toledo

Star appears on ‘Madam Secretary’

Actor Tim Daly plays Dr. Henry McCord, husband of fictional Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (portrayed by actor Tea Leoni), on the CBS television show Madam Secretary.

Actor Tim Daly and organizer Gabriella Linardi make a Snapchat after Mr. Daly spoke on behalf of Hillary Clinton in Toledo. Mr. Daly is a star of the TV show ‘Madam Secretary.’

In late July, he saw Hillary Clinton across a room when he was beneath the Philadelphia arena where the Democratic National Convention was held.

“I looked at her, and I just gave her a big hug, just held her, and I gave her a big kiss, and I looked her in the eyes and said: ‘I’m so proud of you, so proud of you,’ ” Mr. Daly said. “Honestly, having gone through three or four different cities in Ohio today, I feel the same way about you guys, because you are really doing this work.”

Mr. Daly spoke at four Hillary Clinton for President campaign offices in northwest Ohio Monday afternoon, sharing stories about meeting Mr. and Mrs. Clinton and encouraging volunteers to continue their efforts.

He has supported Democratic presidential candidates since getting involved in the John Kerry campaign in 2004, but he called this election the most important of his lifetime.

“I thought the last one and the one before were the most important, but I think this is even more because it’s about someone who has ideas and plans and policies and someone else who only knows how to play on people’s emotions.”

Seth Unger, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, was not impressed with Mr. Daly’s visit.

“Hillary Clinton has been completely ignoring Toledo, refusing to campaign or even send a high-level surrogate to northwest Ohio,” Mr. Unger said in a prepared statement. “In the latest sign of disrespect, instead of Vice President [Joe] Biden or even her own vice presidential nominee, Secretary Clinton trots out a liberal Hollywood actor from a fictional TV show about the State Department to stump for a third Obama term.

“Donald Trump values Toledo, visiting within a week of clinching the Republican nomination to 8,000 enthusiastic supporters at a rally. Mr. Trump’s ‘America First’ message is resonating in northwest Ohio among disenfranchised Democrats and Independents, who are turned off by the rigged system and legacy of failure that Hillary Clinton represents,” the statement said.

Debbie Fritz, 66, first volunteered for Mrs. Clinton during the 2008 Democratic primary.

She agreed with Mr. Daly that this election is particularly urgent.

“I think she’s the best person, and I’ve long wanted her,” Mrs. Fritz said. ”I would love to have a woman president, and I think she’d be an excellent president.”

Mrs. Fritz was not planning on volunteering Monday. But, as a fan of Madam Secretary, she wanted to meet Mr. Daly.

“I didn’t know if he would look like him and then, oh yeah, that’s him,” she said.

Contact Zack Lemon at: zlemon@theblade.com, 419-724-6282, or on Twitter @zack_lemon.