In Ohio Governor’s Race, You Can’t Beat Somebody With FitzGerald

By Larry Durstin

Any Ohio Democrat hoping to unseat Governor John Kasich next year has to be considered something of a longshot. Known for having an independent streak and a “down home” appeal, Kasich is a crafty and seasoned pol who — since being first elected to the Ohio Senate in 1978 at the age of 26 and then serving in the US House of Representatives for 18 years — has never lost an election. That’s 11 wins and no losses.

In addition to his status as an incumbent governor and true GOP heavyweight, another advantage for Kasich next year is the fact that 2014 is a mid-term election and, as a general rule, the party not in the White House has much more energy and a higher turnout than the incumbent president’s party. Roughly speaking, mid-term turnout nationally is around 40% as opposed to 60% in presidential years. This can vary from state to state, but next year there’s little doubt that the Republicans will likely be much more enthused about turning out than the Democrats will.

That’s why it’s imperative that the Democrats nominate someone who can energize their base and who has something to “sell” to the Ohio voters that contrasts with what Kasich will be peddling. Unfortunately for his Northeast Ohio supporters, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald does not possess the necessary credentials or appeal to be anything more than sacrificial lamb for the Kasich machine in 2014.

The former Lakewood mayor was able to parlay his background in the FBI and his work as a prosecutor to win the county executive election in 2010 in a contest that emphasized cleaning up the sleaze of the Dimora/Russo regime. Well, political corruption will not be an issue in the governor’s race, nor will FitzGerald have the benefit of the incredibly weak field (Matt Dolan, Ken Lanci, good grief) that he toppled two years ago. FitzGerald has minimal name recognition statewide and isn’t exactly a household name even here in Cuyahoga County. It’s extremely difficult to see anything special he has to offer to Ohioans in a showdown with Kasich other than his squeaky clean image, stark ambition and the fact that he is not John Kasich.

Former three-term congresswoman Betty Sutton is the Democratic candidate who makes the most sense on several levels – not the least of which is that she is a she. With so many states electing female governors, it’s about time that Ohio joins the 21st Century by running a strong woman candidate for its top job. Sutton also has an excellent record on progressive and kitchen-table issue and only lost her congressional seat due to Republican gerrymandering.

Kasich is most vulnerable in the areas of reproductive rights and labor issues. And these involve the two constituencies that the Dems must turn out in force in order to have any chance of winning the governor’s mansion in a low turnout mid-term election. While Kasich dances around the Ohio Legislature’s desire to pass a “heartbeat” bill and defund Planned Parenthood, Sutton can zero in on these issues by emphasizing her sterling record on choice and her rock-solid credentials on healthcare reform, including her support of the public option.

While Kasich tries to minimize the damage he did to himself by backing SB5 and its assault on collective bargaining, Sutton can tout her work as a labor lawyer along with her successful efforts working with President Obama to help save the auto industry. She can also point to the unique “Cash for Clunkers” program she initiated that injected some financial juice into car sales in the dark days of 2009, when auto sales hit rock bottom.

Along with the capacity to energize women and labor unions, Sutton has impeccable credentials on clean energy, the environment and college affordability. And while John Kasich has been doing everything in his power to make voters forget that he voted to ban gay adoptions, was an investment banker and managing director of Lehman Brothers until it collapsed and played along with Secretary of State John Husted’s efforts to disenfranchise minority voters, Sutton can trumpet her strong support for gay rights, her early backing of Occupy Wall Street and her efforts — in concert with Representative Marcia Fudge — to organize against the GOP-led Ohio Legislature’s bill designed to suppress African-American turnout.

And speaking of voter suppression, it might be wise for Ohio Dems to milk this volatile issue for all its worth by choosing combative state senator Nina Turner to run against Husted. She would bring national attention to the race and, ideally, help turn out a minority vote that normally sags in the mid-terms.

For the Democrats to win the Ohio governorship in 2014, it will require galvanizing women, labor unions and minorities to a level that rivals their participation at the polls in 2012. Betty Sutton, with her easy demeanor and substantial record, is the most logical candidate to do that.

 

 

Larry Durstin is an independent journalist who has covered politics and sports for a variety of publications and websites over the past 20 years. He was the founding editor of the Cleveland Tab and an associate editor at the Cleveland Free Times. Durstin has won 12 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including six first places in six different writing categories. LarryDurstinATyahoo.com

 

 

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