SUMMERVILLE, SC — In 70-degree weather, at a packed country club in Summerville, South Carolina, Senator Sherrod Brown concluded his ‘Dignity of Work’ listening tour with the same message he’s pushed all month.

“I've seen Democrats kind of thinking we’ve got to talk to our progressive base — as we do,” Brown told the crowd. “But they think it’s a choice — you talk to the progressive base or you talk to workers of all races. And the answer is you can’t do one or the other. You’ve got to do both.”

If Brown runs for president, one of his competitors will be New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker — who was also at Saturday’s oyster roast in Summerville.

Booker made light of using Brown’s ‘Dignity of Work’ phrase in recent weeks on the campaign trail.

“Sherrod Brown is one of the nicest, kindest, most decent people I know,” Booker said. “And I’m not apologetic! Good speakers borrow. Great speakers steal. I steal his stuff all the time.”

Saturday’s event — an oyster roast hosted by the Dorchester County Democrats — made two things clear: Brown is well-liked and his message does appeal to people; but when he’s standing next to somebody like Booker, it’s evident that he has a lot ground to make up in terms of name recognition and overall popularity.

“I know he’s exploring getting into the race and I think he has a lot to offer,” said Robert Brooks, who attended the roast. “He’s fighting for some people that have been overlooked, so far, and I think he’d be a good addition. I’d like to hear what he has to say.”

Essence Williams also attended and was learning about Brown for the first time.

“I knew a lot more about Senator Booker, I’m going to be honest,” Williams said. “I knew a lot about him, and he has my vote, honestly.”

As Booker was swarmed for selfies at the end of the event, Brown stood just a few feet away having more intimate conversations he has seemed to prefer throughout his tour.

He started his Saturday morning making an unannounced stop at a local breakfast spot in Florence County — one of three South Carolina counties he visited that President Trump won in 2016.

Then Brown spoke at a Democratic Women’s History Month luncheon in Darlington County.

There, he made a clear attempt to appeal to the state’s important African-American voter base.

“You can’t be a human being who’s awake and not understand that black women are the heart of the Democratic Party,” Brown said. “It’s black women that drive this party. It’s black women that get progressive Democrats like me elected.”

The trips, the handshakes, and the quasi-campaigning in early 2020 states are now on hold.

After launching the listening tour in Ohio, visiting Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, Brown and his wife, Connie Schultz, will now decide if there’s enough reason for him to jump into the already-crowded race for president.

"I see an absolute path for a progressive that talks to workers,” Brown said after his last event on Friday in the city of Florence. “Because people are proud of the work they do, they just don’t get the respect from the country and from the government that they used to get for working so hard.”

Brown reiterated on Saturday that he’ll be announcing whether he’s running by the end of March.

On Sunday, Brown and Schultz were in Selma, Alabama to commemorate ‘Bloody Sunday.’

The trip, which Brown has made in previous years, was taken in Brown’s official capacity as senator and separate from his listening tour.