ASHLAND – Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards stopped at the Ashland County Democrats office Friday morning to encourage and thank the volunteers.

“I really came to say thank you,” Richards said. “Hillary has done her part and is going to continue to do her part, but this is a campaign at this point that is being won on the ground by folks who are talking to folks and getting them to vote. That is the only thing that matters.”

Richards encouraged those gathered to keep up their grassroots efforts, because that is what will make the difference.

“It is hard to imagine after one of these campaigns where millions and millions of dollars are spent on TV ads and polling, it really just comes down to the votes. And that’s why the work we’re doing now, particularly in a state like Ohio where folks can early vote, is absolutely critical,” Richards said.

Hillary Clinton is the first presidential candidate Planned Parenthood has ever endorsed. Richards was in Nevada earlier this week to watch the third presidential debate and was impressed by what she saw.

“It was like watching the next president of the United States,” Richards said.

Richards, the daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, has served as president of Planned Parenthood since 2006. Cecile said the current presidential election has made her think a lot about her mother, who passed away in 2006.

“People always ask what would your mom say about this race with Hillary. She’d say, ‘It was always going to be this hard. So quit whining and just get back to work because that’s the only way we’re going to get this done’,” Richards said.

“I do feel like the tide is turning, and it’s been encouraging in the cities we’ve been in how many people are turning out and showing up to volunteer to make phone calls or be door knockers, because I know at the end o the day, this is what is going to make the difference in this election,” Richards said.

Richards was visiting several cities in Ohio Friday before heading to Michigan and then New Hampshire.

Planned Parenthood, which celebrated its 100th anniversary Sunday, provides women, men and teenagers a wide range of medical services, including sexual education, contraception options, STD screenings, as well as tests and treatments for cervical cancer and other forms of cancer.

At a Democratic office phone bank in Cleveland Thursday, a volunteer approached Richards with a story to share about how Planned Parenthood had saved her life.

“She came up to me and already started welling up. She said, ‘I wanted to be here tonight because Planned Parenthood is where they detected my cervical cancer and they got me all the way through my treatment. I’m now cancer-free and I just wanted to say thank you,’” Richards said.

Looking to the future, Richards is excited for what will happen after Nov. 8.

“Here’s a date I want to mark on your calendar, because maybe it will be the next time we will see each other, that’s when we all get in our pickup or van or take the bus and come on down to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20 and stand on the Mall and witness the inauguration of the first woman president and that’s going to be amazing,” Richards said.