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Voinovich vs. Fisher?
- Filed under: Ohio
- Date: Nov 17,2008
The other day I started looking ahead to 2010 and the U.S. Senate race here, which will be George Voinovich vs. some Democrat. I have long speculated that Lt. Governor Lee Fisher wants the nomination. And here and here and here.
Last night one of the worst kept secrets in Ohio political circles was confirmed to me: As part of the deal of signing on to be Lt. Governor for the 2006 Strickland ticket, Fisher basically demanded that he gets first shot of the Democrats for any of the statewide offices he wants in 2010. It makes his decision to be take the responsibilities of Director of Development more puzzling; overseeing Ohio in it's effort to attract businesses and high paying jobs is not an easy task. Maybe he decided it was better to be seen trying to do something as opposed to whatever it is the Lt. Governor has done in the past in Ohio, which as far as I know is virtually nothing. Fisher has run statewide before in Ohio with mixed results (barely winning the AG race in 1990, losing that job to Betty Montgomery in 1994, losing to Bob Taft for Governor in 1998, winning with Strickland in 2006).
We all know Tim Ryan wants it too….but he would have to give up his ultra safe House seat for the run. Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones also reportedly has his eyes on Voinovich's seat. There are scores of others as well, but these three names are currently the most prominent.
10 Responses for "Voinovich vs. Fisher?"
Lee Fisher no thanks. Anyone who lost to Bob Taft should be disqualified.
[...] vs. Voinovich in 2010? Such is the buzz on the internet. Last night one of the worst kept secrets in Ohio political circles was confirmed [...]
Lee Fisher seems like a good guy, but uneventful. As Tom points out, he's be tried statewide and lost. I'd really like to see Tim Ryan run for this Senate seat. Ryan is phenomenal on the stump and very popular amongst Democrats.
Fisher is a has been and can not beat Voinovich. The only reason he was brought onto the Strickland ticket was for fund raising purposes. Word is that nobody on the Strickland team can stand him. He is arrogant and pompus and from the Cleveland political machine. He can not win statewide in Ohio.
Tim Ryan is a much better choice and could beat Voinovich. That is who I will supporting.
I think Ryan looks better on paper than he would as an actual candidate. It does seem like it will be him or Fisher.
TIM RYAN LOL
I've heard a number of conservative bloggers predict that Voinovich will go the way of Mike DeWine in 2010, saying that Voinovich, like DeWine, is too moderate to excite conservatives to show up at the polls. I voted for one of DeWine's challengers in the 2006 GOP primary, but, in the fall, I saw no reason whatsoever to favor Sherrod Brown over DeWine. However liberal they think DeWine is, Brown is so much more liberal than that.
If conservatives want Voinovich out, then they'd better get him out in the GOP primary. There's no way I'm casting a ballot for Lee Fisher. Lee Fisher and good governance do not go hand-in-hand. On the issues that U.S. Senators would vote on, Lee Fisher is liberal, but not coherently so. That's because, with Lee Fisher, peddling influence is everything–he's a product of the Cuyahoga County Democrat political machine–exactly the kind of politician we don't need more of. In my book, Voinovich walks on water compared to Lee Fisher.
DJW
Voinovich isnt going to lose any primary. Thats just how it is. I'd have thought most people in my party would still prefer him over a Democrat, but after I posted about it last week based on the comments I got I was wrong.
Lee Fisher won't get my vote. I agree with DJW
Ben,
You are correct. George will win the primary, but will lose the election a la Mike Dewine. I was at a recent Republican Club meeting where I basically begged my fellow GOP'ers to vote for Voinovich over any democrat. I still only got mixed feelings.
I feel I am a part of the conservative base, but the conservative base as a whole is difficult to garner. Even with Palin, McCain got a vastly lower number of base voters that W received.
Even though George is not my favorite senator, we need to implore upon him to get over to the right. I wrote him a letter saying that he needs to prove his conservatism over the next two years by leading the filibuster of any liberal supreme court justice. If he led the minority Senate in this matter alone…he could make great waves with Ohio's Republican base…but if he "gets along" he is done.
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