Crowded ballots on tap for many state primaries

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF
COLUMBUS – U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman will be able to keep his Republican powder dry for the November election while the Democratic race to challenge him has suddenly turned into a four-way fight.

After threatening to expend some of his personal fortune to take on Mr. Portman, Cleveland area auto dealership owner Tom Ganley did not file petitions to seek the GOP nomination by yesterday’s deadline.

He opted instead to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton in his Cleveland backyard where he’s much better known. That means Mr. Portman, a former Cincinnati area congressman and White House budget director, can save the $6 million he already had in the bank for the fall contest.

On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, and two last-minute entries – Traci (TJ) Johnson, a Toledo native living near Columbus, and Charlena Renee Bradley of Lyndhurst – will square off in the May 4 primary election.

The Libertarian, Constitution, and Socialist parties are offering Steven R. Linnabary, Eric W. Deaton, and Daniel H. LaBotz, respectively. All hope to replace Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who’s opted not to seek a third six-year term.

While Mr. Portman has avoided a potentially expensive GOP primary contest, Mike DeWine, the party-endorsed Republican for Ohio attorney general, wasn’t so lucky. Steve Christopher, a lawyer and Blanchard Township trustee from Hardin County, opted not to give the former U.S. senator a free pass to his party’s nomination.

He’s associated with the conservative Tea Party movement which has criticized Mr. DeWine for being too moderate on some issues while a U.S. senator. They’ve also fumed over the pressure brought by party leaders on the Tea Party’s preferred candidate, Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, to run for state auditor instead.

Whoever emerges victorious in the GOP primary will face Democratic incumbent Richard Cordray on Nov. 2.

Delaware lawyer Robert M. Owens is also back, this time as a Constitution Party candidate. As an independent in the 2008 special election, he attracted almost 5 percent of vote for attorney general. The Libertarian Party offers Marc Allan Feldman of Beachwood.

The vast majority of the other candidates who filed paperwork have been unofficial candidates for months. In many cases, the party-backed candidate faces no primary election opposition.

Gov. Ted Strickland and running mate Yvette McGee Brown, a former juvenile court judge, filed their Democratic petitions yesterday. Their Republican opponents, former congressman John Kasich and Auditor Mary Taylor, filed earlier in the week.

The Green Party is putting up Dennis S. Spisak of Struthers, whose Web site characterizes him as a “progressive liberal,” and running mate Anita Rios, Toledo president of the National Organization for Women.

For the Libertarian Party, Ken Matesz of Swanton is running for governor with Ann Leech of Loveland as his would-be lieutenant governor.

Contact Jim Provance at:
jprovance@theblade.com
or 614-221-0496.

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