Jennifer Brunner is running for Senate!
Lee Fisher is running for Senate!

I covered what I thought at the Keeler Report. In summary, here is what i said:

1. I am stupefied by all the Democrats who were begging her to run again for SoS – pitching the "team player" angle – and thought it would work. Open Senate seats come along maybe once but probably not twice in a career of a politician. Brunner obviously doesn't see herself as just a Secretary of State. This was her chance and she would have been borderline stupid to not take it. She will have the full-backing of 60th vote Sherrod which will be worth something. She cares more about herself than the Apportionment Board. So would you if you were her too.

2. Saying that Brunner doesn't see herself as a career SoS, she also knows that if Strickland wins in 2010, AG Cordray is the party choice for Governor if he wins in 2010 as well. That must have played a factor in her thinking. And she must have felt both would happen. Not saying they will, just saying that is what she thinks.

3. While 60th vote Sherrod will support Brunner, Fisher will have the backing of Strickland and what he controls…..at least the two of them will have that backing as we start out.

4. Dispatch: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason might replace Brunner in the SoS race. I guess? Though Brunner is a formidable candidate, her departure does bring about a major opening for the Ohio GOP to take that seat back and hold the Apportionment Board. I wonder, deep down, if the Ohio GOP would rather win the Senate seat or Brunner's. Actually, I am fairly sure it is Brunner's.

5. Will this push out others in the Democratic field – or encourage them to get going on their bid? Neither Fisher or Brunner is backing down – and you can't expect anyone to with this opportunity. If Brunner and Fisher are both going to run and there will not be a clear field, there is no incentive for any of the other possibilities to stay away. It might be easier for someone like Betty Sutton or Peter Lawson Jones to win in a fractured primary – much like Sutton did for her congressional seat in March 2006. (I think this is the most important point).

6. I guess with Fisher making it official that means Bill O'Neill won't be running. He said he wouldn't run if Fisher did. What a relief.

I also think it is important that we note prediciting this race so far out would be foolish. Ask George Allen, Tom Daschle, and Ted Stevens about that.

Republicans everywhere in Ohio and especially powerful ones in Columbus are not very happy with State Senator Tim Grendell.

Grendell (R-Chesterland, 18th District) found himself unopposed on November 4 for his second term in the Ohio Senate. He was one of only two State Senators who faced no opposition – and the only Republican. Kind of curious.

Both the Democrat (Mark Schneider) and Republican (Carol-Ann Schindel) candidates in the 63rd House District claimed Grendell's support in one of the marquee races from three weeks ago. The 63rd is located in parts of Lake County, which also is part of Grendell's Senate territory. Both Schneider and Schindel had ads
with the Republican Grendell's statements of support. "I am confident that Mark Schneider will provide a strong voice for the families of Lake County in the House of Representatives," one of the Schneider ads quoted Grendell as saying. According to Gongwer (subscription required), House Democrats said their spots stemmed from an agreement with the lawmaker, who would not go as far as an endorsement but agreed to provide the quotes and appear in a picture with Mr. Schneider. The Democrat's campaign produced signed copies of the statements on the candidate's letterhead as proof of the arrangement. But he did say later "I exclusively and wholeheartedly endorse State Representative Carol-Ann Schindel." Way to back your party, Tim. In the end, Schneider won with around 54% of the vote.

It is really a matter of semantics if he endorsed Schneider. But Grendell did agree to appear in his campaign lit and say nice things about him, stopping short of using the word "endorse." He may as well have though. The common understanding is he pulled this stunt in a quid pro quo for running unopposed, even though the Democrats didn't really have a top tier candidate to run against him. So there really wasn't a need to do this. Grendell has a reputation of just looking out for his own best interest and stepping on anyone needed that is in his way, including Republicans, and this would certainly be an example. Grendell has reportedly been getting some very icy treatment from his colleagues.

Grendell has been long known to have his eye on the U.S. House seat of Steve LaTourette. From what I am hearing he can forget that now. He will not get the party backing if the chance ever comes. There has been talk he will lose any possible chairmanship for the next legislative session in Columbus. To say that many of his fellow Republicans in Columbus and the leadership was outraged over his actions is an understatement. Additionally, I was told that tonight at the Lake County Republican Party executive committee meeting the discussion of censuring Grendell will be started.

One local point to add to this. At the April meeting of the Summit County Central Committee, Grendell was the hand chosen parliamentarian of Alex Arshinkoff. Grendell was paid handsomely for his services that night. Real objective.

Not a lot of sleep, not a lot to eat, and not a lot to say right now.

In Ohio, 2 U.S. House Seats were lost and one is still too close to call. The Democrats also took over the State House for the first time since 1994. Local candidates Rich Nero and Randy Cole both lost.

Summit County Republicans took a beating that everyone saw coming. A major beating. But Judge Spicer won and since that was one of two races party leadership actually cared about (other than County Engineer) they will try to claim success. Looking forward to that one.

Things could have been much worse in the U.S. Senate. Ted Stevens, Norm Coleman, and Gordon Smith are leading, and Saxby Chambliss looks headed to a run-off in Georgia as he fell just below 50%. Republicans should keep at least two of these seats and hopefully three. Went to bed thinking Coleman could not make up what he needed with only 2% of precincts left, but was pleasantly surprised to see he is ahead. Thoughts of Franken winning woke me up at least 3 times an hour. The Democrats had a once in a generation chance and so far have only gained 5 seats. That said, it is terrible that Republicans like Ted Stevens and Gordon Smith (outstanding vote not favorable to him) may win while John Sununu lost and Norm Coleman is fighting for his political life against some vile comedian.

Congratulations to Kyle and most other Democrats. Now that I know what the feeling of losing a presidential election is like, it isn't very pleasant. Kyle called me last night to offer his condolences. It was appreciated and showed his class. I do not like Barack Obama, I think he is a far left radical, and do not think he will be a good president. But he will be my president. Nothing bothered me more than when losers who hated Bush would say "he isn't my president." Yes, he was – and still is. And yes, Obama will be mine. And that I respect. I will oppose his polices but at the same time never forget that he was elected by a majority of Americans.

Once I get some food in me, I'll have more.

This past Tuesday I attended a fund raiser for State Representative Rich Nero at Lake Forest Country Club. Former Congressman John Kasich was the featured speaker. Kasich really hammered home how important it was that Republicans hold on to their narrow majority in the Ohio House. Kasich is currently traveling around the state to help Republican candidates (he also spoke on behalf of Randy Cole for his race in the 41st earlier that day). Also he might be running for Governor. So that may have something to do with it. He was a good speaker and has a pretty solid stump speech and made excellent point after point as to why Nero would be better for the district than his opponent. If everyone could have heard Kasich's common sense talk on the race, Nero would win in a landslide.

Rich spoke before John and talked about the mailer I mentioned last week and the ABJ condemnation of it. People who have been going door to door for him said a surprising number people have taken notice of the Beacon calling out Mike Moran and the Democrats for their despicable ad. Residents of the 42nd are aware of it. That can only help.

Races like this one in the 42nd will help to determine the outcome of who comes out ahead on November 4 here in Ohio. Like we mentioned in our video the other night, high level surrogates on both sides are trying to swing this race. This is a split district and will probably come down to the wire. Rich has been out campaigning hard and knows it is going to be tight, won or lost precinct by precinct. It was good to see a number of prominent local Republicans on Tuesday at Lake Forest who understand the significance of Rich's contest, willing to give him an extra financial boost for these remaining days.

Through the course of this campaign, I have gotten to know Rich Nero fairly well. He is in this race for the right reasons. The 42nd has lacked leadership for too long and he just got tired of it and set out to do something about it. Many politicians on both sides of the aisle are not running for the right reasons. I want Republicans to win regardless of the candidate in most circumstances. Of course. That is the same as always and won't change. But in this case, I have witnessed up close the time and money that he has poured into this thing. Ohio Republicans will be down a good man if he doesn't keep his seat.

Side note: While I was at Kasich's website, I found this article from March 2007 in the Dispatch.

"If you travel into small towns like these that exist not just in Ohio but in Illinois, you'll find a lot of people who are hurting," Obama said last week in Columbus. "These are folks who have worked all their lives and don't expect a handout from anybody."

I guess he doesn't include those people in his federal tax cut for people who don't pay federal income tax. "Handout" would be the best word to describe that.

Here is some interesting information for you. It regards Ohio House District 63. Likely not on the radar screen of too many our readers, but still too good not to print (or type in this case). The 63rd District includes part of Lake County. (map of Ohio House districts here)

The Democrats have found a candidate to face off against incumbent Republican Carol-Ann Schindel. He is Mark Schneider. Hmmm. That name sounds awfully familiar. Let me refresh your memory. In June of 2006, a child rape case was dismissed from Cuyahoga County Court when an assistant county prosecutor didn't show up for court. The prosecutor was Mark Schneider.

Craig faced life because Ohio does have mandatories in this situation, but Judge Eileen Gallagher threw the case out, let Craig walk because prosecutor Mark Schneider was late for court. Mr. Schneider told us he was filing an emergency motion and informed the court about that.
(More from MSNBC, CNN)

Well that is not the point of the post. Schneider recently moved to Lake County (early 2007) after Schindel beat Tim Cassell in November of 2006. Now he is running in the 63rd District. According to a simple records search at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Mark Schneider never voted in Cuyahoga County. In his stump speech, Schneider says he has worked in the prosecutors office since getting out of law school, so that is 9 years. He might have voted in school at Michigan (during his undergrad – no records available that I could find), but not in Cuyahoga where he lived since he got out of law school at Ohio State.

Now he wants your vote.

Back in June, I discussed the Ohio House race in the 41st District (PDF of the district location in Summit County). Republican Randy Cole is running to unseat Democrat Brian G. Williams, who was first elected in 2004. In that post, I described how Williams replaced similarly named Republican Bryan C. Williams for the seat, which is one of the big reasons he was selected by Democrats to run in the first place (name confusion). New Brian Williams won by 279 votes out of about 64,700 total votes. He has done next to nothing for the district since he was elected unless you count collecting a paycheck in addition to his retirement check from the state from his time in the Akron schools.

Since my initial writing, Cole has received the endorsement of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee and the Ohio Society of CPAs. He was also recognized as one of Akron’s "30 for the Future" by the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. Cole was also the only candidate running against a two term incumbent who received the Ohio Chamber endorsement. Also since my first post on this race there has been no status change in the legislative accomplishments of Brian Williams; he has still just introduced 4 non-important bills, of which exactly 0 have passed.

The number one focus for Randy continues to be the economy – as it has been from the start. He is still stressing the importance of dealing with our lagging economy throughout his campaign and his plan to use our regional strengths to our advantage. At the event on Sunday I heard him repeat that he is frustrated by the fact that when knocking on doors people in this area constantly tell him they have to get on a plane to see their children and/or grandchildren because they have gone elsewhere looking for better employment. He thinks this can change with the right leadership. Currently the 41st is without such a leader in the Ohio House.

This past weekend, the Cole campaign had an ice cream social and family get together at the Bath Community Center that attracted a good number of local residents. The picture above is Randy briefly addressing the crowd as they enjoyed the food. Below the fold are a few of the other pictures I took.

Time to take a wack at a ridiculous premise some of our friends (channeling my inner John McCain) on the left have come up with regarding the AG race.

They are saying that with this pick the Ohio GOP has out "Danned Dann." Really? So let us look at this "scandal."

Link: In 1991 Crites, serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, hired a woman named Brenda L Dodrill as an assistant U.S. attorney “despite the fact that she had been licensed to practice law only since November 1988 and had no trial experience.”

And why would he do that? Because Dodrill was sleeping with Columbus Mayor Buck Rinehart who was still married to his wife Carol at the time.

Rinehart admitted his affair in 1990. He separated from his wife in August of 1990. They were granted a dissolution in January 1991. Brenda Dodrill didn’t resign from the City of Columbus until April 1991, and wasn’t made an assistant U.S. Attorney until after that.

What does Crites have to do with that?

It isn't uncommon to hire someone to that position three years out of law school. Dodrill stayed on when the Clinton appointee took over, so she must have been doing a good job, and in fact never would have passed the Justice Department background check and what not if she wasn't qualified for the job.

Again, what does Crites have to do with it besides hiring a qualified person for a position as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the civil division? There was no political favor to be had because Rinehart was a lame duck mayor. Crites has been a professional prosecutor for the last 21 years. Something you would look for in an AG. Trying to link all this together is a stretch at best. At best. Crites is more qualified for the job than the seemingly annual candidate Cordray and this is just trying to be used as a diversion. Comparable to Marc Dann and the way he ran things? Not a chance.

This is a pretty sad attack on a woman who served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney admirably. Perhaps if the Ohio Democrats turned their focus from outdated oppo research in to picking better candidates interested in playing musical chairs in Columbus, this situation wouldn’t exist the first place.

Already on the case: WMD and NaugBlog.

This past weekend the Beacon ran a story regarding Ohio lawmaker access to Buckeyes Football tickets. With the whole John Widowfield story coming to light recently, this story and the ability to purchase the coveted tickets for the chosen few has started to get some attention – unwanted by both the buyers and Ohio State. They are offered an opportunity to buy up to four season tickets each year. They must pay out of their own pocket or use campaign funds. There aren't a lot of harder tickets to purchase for a sporting event anywhere in the country – professional or collegiate. I would venture to guess that most people did not know about this exclusive privilege granted to Ohio lawmakers.

Brian G. Williams, Democratic State Representative in the 41st District, said in the article: "Hey, we're state representatives and this is our state university," said Williams, who purchases tickets with his own money. "The fact we are able to buy tickets – I don't see anything wrong with that."

I then found an interesting comment to the story (6th one down):

"To him, I reply, hey, I'm a taxpayer and this is my state university. The fact I am not able to buy tickets and you are is wrong. You are my representative and your job is serve me, not be privileged over me. If you want to be hold a position superior to state representative, resign and become hold only the title of citizen. In the United States, that is the pinnacle."

"I find your assertion that your position privileges you to seats at football games at one of Ohio's publicly funded universities is ludicrous. The fact is that this ticket business is small potatoes in the array of unearned privileges assumed by government officials. Your arrogant and silly assertion that some right to buy football tickets is a function of your job of providing oversight to our state university makes me wonder what other kinds of privileges you believe you have."

This fall Williams (still yet to pass a bill since he was elected in 2004) is facing off against Republican Randy Cole for a seat in the Ohio House. Cole said if elected he will not purchase Ohio State tickets. Here is what Cole had to say about the situation: "I find the assertion by Brian Williams that his position privileges him to seats at football games at one of Ohio's publicly funded universities is ludicrous," said Cole. "The fact is, this ticket business is small potatoes when compared to some unearned privileges assumed by government officials. Brian's arrogant assertion that the right to buy football tickets is a function of his job makes me wonder what other kinds of privileges Brian believes he has."

Is this a case of what lawmakers are getting out of their jobs instead of what they are putting in to them? Should Ohio elected officials be able to purchase these tickets? What exactly does Ohio State want in return? Probably something. I would like to purchase tickets as a fan, but I can not. I am lucky to go to a game every other season if someone is nice enough to give me a seat to watch my favorite college football team (Note: anyone is welcome to give me Ohio State tickets). I am picking on Williams here because he is my state representative and I want to see him defeated in November, but most in the same position who have the chance also do the same thing, even when many alumni can not even get the opportunity to buy two tickets to a non-conference game. Doesn't seem fair to me. The story does then note that in 2007, all but one of the 17 Akron-Canton area lawmakers purchased OSU football season tickets. Republican Representative Bill Batchelder of Medina did not. So who is right here, Williams or Cole? I commend Cole for pledging to not get Ohio State tickets – as we all know, it is a tough thing to turn down. Most of us would salivate at the chance to buy season tickets to watch Ohio State roll through the regular season before they lose in the national championship.

That will be all for today, as Kyle and I are on a super secret mission in Columbus.

Dispatch: Whether or not Strickland gets a strong re-election challenge will have no effect on another race in 2010 that portends to be an epic battle: GOP House Speaker Jon A. Husted is preparing to challenge Democratic incumbent Jennifer Brunner for secretary of state………Husted is not ready to tip his hand beyond saying, "The possibility of running statewide in 2010 is certainly something that is a consideration for me." But even Brunner acknowledged that "people who are plugged into Republican circles seem to confirm that" the Kettering Republican is planning to run against her.

Why this matters to you: After the 2010 elections and the census, Ohio (and all states) will re-draw their congressional lines. Ohio is almost for sure going to lose a seat (maybe two), so someone is going to be drawn out of a job. The state legislative boundaries will be re-drawn by the five member, partisan, state apportionment board after those elections. One legislative representative will be on the board for both the Democrats and Republicans. The Governor and State Auditor control two other seats. As of now, and things can change, Ted Strickland and Mary Taylor are favored for reelection. That leaves the last seat on the board – Secretary of State – which could help decide the new Ohio legislative districts. Obviously the side that controls the drawing of the new map will aide their party and it is a huge deal. The state legislature then draws the lines for the congressional districts. Republicans need to protect the Auditor slot and then defeat either Strickland or Brunner to have the control they want. Brunner seems like the best bet right now to go down.

Oh, and it also matters if you think Jennifer Brunner has been a terrible Secretary of State as I do. Husted would be a formidable candidate. He is well known around the state, good candidate on the trail, and can raise money. Good strengths to have if you are running statewide. It would be a monumental battle. Husted, who is term limited out of his House Speaker job this fall, does not aspire to be a legislator in the Ohio Senate for too many more years (he is running for the Ohio Senate this fall).

I can guarantee you Brunner does not want to face off against Husted. I'm not saying he is going to win, I am just saying he would not be who Brunner would want to see opposite her on the ballot.

H/T: Ohio Media Guide. OMG just recently popped up and is a site I visit every day now. It is formatted just like the Drudge Report and focuses on Ohio political news and other big stories from our state. Easy to navigate. Highly recommended and a must stop for all Ohio political news junkies.

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.

"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."

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.

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

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).

So why doesn't Fisher want the AG job? No one knows how that election is going to play out. Will Dann's tenure have an effect on the race? McCain and Obama will be on the ballot the same day. Fisher can't risk running for AG and losing when he would still be an officeholder when things gear up for the 2010 Senate race, which will probably be Spring/Summer 2009. Plus, Fisher has a mixed record when he has run statewide. (See after the jump for his track record.) Fisher has to also hope that Strickland is the VP nominee and wins so he can become governor, in which case he would either run for that job again or have an even higher profile to use to run for Senate.

(Previously I wrote about Fisher using his current job as it relates to his future job here and here and here on my own site).

Interesting to go back to look at the past state election results at Brunner's page….1990 for instance. Jim Petro loses a run for state auditor. Stephanie Tubbs Jones ran for Ohio Supreme Court? Funny to go back and look at some of the races I saw commercials for as a kid.

Regardless, I think we all know one person in Columbus hoping Strickland is the VP nominee and leaves town.

Previous Lee Fisher Runs for Statewide Office: Before he latched on to Strickland for the 2006 Ohio Republican Massacre, he wasn't exactly a statewide power, but he was no pushover either. As I previously mentioned, Fisher was elected Attorney General in 1990, but fell in 1994 to Betty Montgomery. In 1998, Fisher lost to Bob Taft in his race for Governor. A split record…throw out 1994 (GOP year) and 2006 (Democrat year) and Fisher is 1 for 2 in his statewide bids. In 1990 he beat Republican Paul Pfeifer by 1200 votes out of just over 3,360,000 votes. In 1994 he lost to Montgomery by around 90,000 votes – but got more votes than any Democrat statewide that year. In 1998 when he lost to Taft he ran ahead of other state Democrats again. I don't care to look at the 2006 page on the Secretary of State's page site. I still remember that night pretty clearly.

Glass City Jungle discusses the Fisher as AG rumors as well.

My personal favorite is the time he swore at reporters in Youngstown when he was questioned about his daughter working for the Secretary of State's office. There are no wrong answers here and there are many options to choose from. It appears the Sunshine Express is about to make it's final, somber voyage. The famous SUV should go on Ebay or something, all proceeds going to the State of Ohio of course. It can be earmarked for Jennifer Brunner to travel to collect awards for making Ohio's voting system "more secure."

You can also use this thread to speculate on who Ted Strickland will appoint as the replacement. I also will use this space to say that I felt the Democrats were scheming to keep Dann around for awhile to avoid a special election. I was wrong. They did the right thing. That Ted Strickland is VP material!

Updates: On the left, Pho and Writes Like She Talks liveblogged the press conference. On the right, Nix Guy and WMD hear that Mike DeWine is gearing up to run for the AG slot. Last week, Right Runner speculated it would be Cordray against Portman.

First things first. This headline is from The Boring Made Dull, but I just had to use it. Kudos for thinking of this, TBMD.

We have let other blogs beat up on this story, but I felt I should probably weigh in with everything that has gone on, especially today. The story just won't go away. Impeachment articles were filed against Dann this morning. The articles outline nine counts of why Dann should be impeached, according to those who filed them – the Democrats. The Democrats' resolution to impeach their own needs Republican support from both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate.

Something posted at the Darke Blog caught my attention. The Democrats do not want a special election. That is clear. They want to drag this out – and it will fade out of the news – until September 24, at which time Dann can resign and have his replacement not run until 2010 ( no special election). I think it is entirely possible, and maybe probable, that the Democrats actually want nothing to be done so they can blame the Republican legislature for the inaction. That is how politics is played – and the Democrats are going to try and spin this back around on Republicans who really have nothing do with this. Of course, the resolutions can't go anywhere without Republican support.

And as Darke Blog put it: And in either event, impeachment may take until after September 24, in which case Democrats will have their cake and eat it too. Indeed. There will be an investigation. It will take months, not days. There is no set timetable (thanks Ohio House Republicans) for the Inspector General to complete his investigation which still cannot begin until this legislation passes. Hence, things don't get started for awhile, the deadline passes for a special election and Democrats are happy. Strickland gets to appoint whomever he wants and he/she won't have to face the voters for the office.

Or maybe both sides just want this guy the hell out of the AG Office. Democrats were the ones to bring up the impeachment articles, so now Republicans have to decide what to do. I think they should vote for impeachment and then deal with the appointment and subsequent special election if it happens. Nix Guy thinks Republicans should proceed with the vote as well.

One last note: The bill allocates $250,000 to cover costs of the investigation. That could be used for a lot of paint jobs for the Sunshine Express.

UPDATE:The Plain Dealer is reporting that Dann will resign later today.

UPDATE 2: Dennis Willard of the Akron Beacon Journal reports that Dann will not resign today.

Today's Dispatch has a piece titled "AG's office ignored early warning." Stout lived across the street from the Dann condo and said she was offered a job by Dann the first time she met him. " 'Get her a job doing something in the attorney general's office, anywhere she fits,' " she said Dann told Gutierrez. After less than two months at work, Stout was transferred abruptly on Jan. 18, without explanation, to an information-technology position that she readily admitted she was never interested in nor qualified for. Sounds similar to the criticism you hear from the left about some Bush appointees (appropriate criticism though).

A telling quote in Sunday's PD from Ted Celeste, on whether or not Dann should resign: "It is important to do some testing and see what they (voters) are feeling," he said. Typical Democrat thinking here. Do some polling and see if you can hang on. Clarification: this is typical elected Democrat thinking, not rank and file Democrat thinking. More often than not, scandal infected Democrats tend to hang on to their jobs while Republicans depart the scene. In this case, I think the polling results are clear – Ohio Democrats waited forever to get back into power and they don't want one person messing it up. And again, not just because of the recent stuff, but all that has happened since Dann took office has just accumulated to the point where people want "Barack Obama style change" at the AG Office.

Looking ahead to 2010, as long as Dann goes away soon, I wouldn't think this incident would still be terribly relevant, though Republicans will certainly try to keep it in the forefront. I kind of want to feel bad for Dann, but I don't because he still seems to be whining that people are coming after him. Marc Dann ran some of the most dishonest campaign commercials in Ohio history against Betty Montgomery in 2006. He knows how politics is played, and if he is so stupid that he couldn't figure out that people would be coming for him, then he really is ill equipped to be Attorney General, as he has admitted.

Dann's need to keep his prestigious job above anything and everybody else is the very reason why he is the type of individual who could easily be corrupted. Ohio wanted to sweep out Republicans in 2006 and they didn't care at the time who they got in return. Maybe they should have taken a closer look. Like I have often said, my friend who worked for Petro told me in October 2006 what a disaster Dann would be. He said he didn't care about any other statewide races except keeping Dann out. He was right. The way I understand it, if Dann resigns before September 24, Ted appoints a successor who will have to run in a special election this November. If Dann can hang on until then, then resign, his successor gets to finish his full term. Two bad choices for Democrats, but the latter is far worse.

UPDATE: State Democrats want Dann out.

Eric Mansfield did a write up of the saga and this was in there: He (Dann) also says he never expected to win the election and that he's been turning around his behavior and that of others in his office for the last few months.

Huh? He never expected to win the election so he didn't know how to act? That doesn't even make sense.

Hard to see how Dann survives all this. If it was this alone, he could probably ride out the storm. But there are just too many other incidents. Dann will be a weight around the ankles of the other Democrats if he runs again. I was reminded today of the Bill Sloat piece about potential AG replacements. It seems a lot more relevant today. Matt Naugle had it before the turn of the year and was mocked. Looks like he is owed an apology by many.

I can't wait to see what the Professor says later today. He has been all over this from day 1. Writes Like She Talks liveblogged the Dann press conference.

Update: I found this over at Plunderbund. Eric says he was lied to personally by Jessica Utovich.

I see that Ted Strickland is going to be in Indiana with Hillary. When he gets back, I suspect Dann will be getting a phone call.