Jim Petro Says No To AG Race

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Ohio Government
• Date: Jun 23,2008

Today, the Columbus Dispatch's blog reports that Jim Petro has decided he will not run for Attorney General. It has to be tough news for Ohio Republicans since Petro was the clear first choice and whoever ends up on the ballot is an obvious default candidate. This past weekend Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett was quoted in the Toledo Blade as naming Petro and Betty Montgomery as two candidates considering the race. Montgomery would definitely be a formidable candidate, but Jim Trakas told the Plain Dealer that she does not want the job. My advice to the Ohio Republican Party is to just not run a candidate against Rich Cordray and focus their resources elsewhere. I'd imagine they will find somebody to run before the end of the week, but it is worth noting that their top tier candidates are taking a pass.

Cordray Makes It Official

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Ohio 2008, Ohio Government
• Date: Jun 22,2008

Yesterday the Ohio Democratic Party officially nominated Rich Cordray to run for Ohio Attorney General. Cordray is a natural choice to run for the position. "An attorney by profession, he argued six cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and taught for 15 years at Ohio State’s law school." He started his political career in Franklin County and is well known in central Ohio. However, Cordray has his work cut out for him to introduce himself to voters across the state. State Treasurer isn't the kind of position that most voters, including me, really follow. I have had the opportunity to see Cordray speak and he is very good on the stump. He's a bit soft spoken, but very smart and will be able to effectively outline his vision for the Office of the Attorney General. He's also a stark contrast to Marc Dann. Dann as a rough and tumble guy from Youngstown who wasn't expected to actually beat Betty Montgomery. Cordray is much more polished and will be able to make the case that he will restore and respect the A.G. office.

Right now Ohio Auditor of State Mary Taylor is the only Republican to hold statewide office. Republicans have yet to nominate a candidate for the A.G. position. It is going to be an important decision. This race is also an opportunity for the Republicans to use the Marc Dann debacle to brand Democrats as corrupt in Ohio. I'd expect the Ohio Republican Party to make an announcement tomorrow or in the next couple days. Buckeye State Blog is reporting that Petro will be the Republican nominee.

Governor Strickland Endorses Barack Obama

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Obama, Ohio Government, Uncategorized
• Date: Jun 5,2008

Governor Ted Strickland issued the following statement this afternoon:

"Today, I announce my wholehearted and enthusiastic support for Barack Obama for President of the United States.

Earlier today I talked with Sen. Hillary Clinton. I thanked her for her friendship and the strong effort she put forth in this historic campaign. I pledged to work with her to unify the party and to make sure that Barack Obama wins the presidency.

Ohioans have suffered as a result of the failed policies of the Bush Administration, including job loss as a result of rising fuel prices. Ohioans desperately want real, meaningful change. And I believe Barack Obama will bring that change."

Republicans Have a Champion for Change in the 41st District

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Local, Ohio Government
• Date: Jun 3,2008

Late last week I had the chance to sit down with Randy Cole. Randy is running as a Republican for State Representative in the 41st District. (Here is the 41st). He will face off against Democrat Brian G. Williams, who was first elected in 2004, replacing Bryan C. Williams who held the seat from 1996 to 2004. Confused? So were many voters. Some still don't know there is a different Williams holding the seat, one of the opposite party.

This is a district that is winnable for Republicans this cycle. In 2004, Marilyn Slaby lost to Williams by 279 votes out of around 64,700 cast. Slaby did virtually no campaigning of any kind, did not attend candidate forums, and put in little other effort and still almost won. In sharp contrast, Randy Cole has been out knocking on doors across the county and making the rounds in the district and has good, knowledgeable people working with him at his side when he goes out. He said the feedback he has been getting from all virtually all voters has been positive. During our sit down, I got the impression that Cole is fully committed to winning this race and being a full-time legislator. Based on his lack of action, Williams seems to be just content to collect a second state paycheck in addition to his state retirement plan.

Brian Williams ran for office on an education platform, saying he would bring his years of professional educational experience to the Ohio House. Brian Williams has introduced 4 non-important bills in his time in the Ohio House; he has passed exactly 0 bills to this point. That is not exactly getting things done. His constituent service is legendary - for being very poor, at almost an insulting level. However, if you need a ribbon cut, Williams may find his way to your event. Here are the four bills he has introduced - including a "no spanking" and a second animal cruelty bill from this year: 127 HB 22, 127 HB 115, 127 HB 406, and 127 HB 418. Here is an actual quote from the Beacon that Williams gave regarding his animal cruelty bill: "Ohio trails 46 other states in penalties. I feel strongly that this problem should be addressed at an early age, as studies show that cruelty to animals is often a precursor of more deep-seated problems, which, if left untreated, lead to more heinous crimes. We need to get at it while they are young before they become a Jeffrey Dahmer or something." Besides being insulted that a fellow Revere High School graduate was brought into this (Dahmer), I find it odd that it is given characterization of such high importance by Williams.

In our discussion, Randy's big focus was the economy. One interesting thing we talked about was the potential our area has if we maximize the use of our water. It is no secret that in some parts of the country water is starting to get scarce. This is natural resource that our region of Ohio is not taking full advantage of. Cole feels that our water is a potential gold mine for jobs and tourism. He also talked about how so many kids now want to go to school out of state and never come back. This is a major problem around here and he wants to try and reverse that trend. Part of that is bringing quality jobs to our area which was another point of interest in our meeting. As President of a small business, Randy knows all about what it takes to create jobs.

The bottom line is that this race is in a 52% Republican district that is currently occupied by a do-nothing Democrat who appears to care very little about the people he represents. The 41st District deserves some real leadership. This is a race I am going to focus on as we head towards November.

Unrelated: Kyle's favorite candidate for Congress, Bill O'Neill, gets hung up on by Lanigan and Malone on Friday. Thanks to an anonymous tipster for this clip. It is at about the 35 minute mark.

Strickland appoints Nancy Hardin Rodgers to be A.G.

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Ohio Government
• Date: May 28,2008

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland announced this morning that he has appointed Ohio State School of Law Professor Nancy Hardin Rodgers to be the interim Attorney General of the State of Ohio. Rodgers will serve out the remaining term until the special election in November. I think it was smart for Governor Strickland not to make a partisan appointment to the position and to allow an open seat race to replace Dann. It is another reflection of the new tone Governor Strickland has brought to Columbus.

I don't agree with what Kyle wrote here. See the first comment.

Lee Fisher Wants More Than Dann's Old Gig

• Author: Ben Keeler
• Filed under: Ohio Government
• Date: May 23,2008

I have always loved speculating on who is going run for what office and when. I also have often said and opined that our Lt. Governor / Director of Development Lee Fisher is using his current position as a springboard for something he considers better and more worthy of his greatness. Thursday the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Fisher stated in no uncertain terms that he does not want the vacant AG job, one that he held from 1991 through 1995. From the article:

And he's not looking to switch tracks now, he said. "I loved being Attorney General of Ohio. But I love being Lieutenant Governor and Director of Development even more," he said. "I really love what I'm doing." Does that mean he has no interest in replacing Dann? "That means no," he said. Even if Strickland asked? Even if Strickland asked, he said.

I have long shared my belief that Fisher wants to run for Senate against George Voinovich in 2010. Ohio Democrats are going to be lining up and trampling each other over in an effort to get that nomination. They saw how bad DeWine did in 2006 against Sherrod Brown, not the world's greatest candidate to say the least. They will see Republicans lose more Senate seats in 2008 regardless of what happens in the race for the White House. And they know Voinovich is not held in high regard by many Ohio Republicans (one of many examples here). Fisher will be in the drivers seat if he wants the nomination. There would be a fight if someone else wanted it (maybe Tim Ryan for one), but Fisher starts out as the favorite. However, Fisher took a big political gamble when he decided to take Strickland's offer to be both Lt. Governor and head of the Director of State Development department. When Ohio fails to create jobs, that can be pinned on Fisher as Director of Development in an election. (For the record I bet it will end up being Treasurer Cordray as the Dem nominee for the Dann tainted office - but he won't be appointed in the interim, allowing Strickland to appoint his successor if he wins it).

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