Today some fabulous news was confirmed that’s been buzzing around the state all week: Republican gubernatorial candidate John "Tax cuts! Tax cuts! Tax cuts!" Kasich announced the selection of Ohio state auditor Mary Taylor as his running mate (In Ohio, governor and lieutenant governor run as a package).
Why is this fabulous for Democrats? Let me explain.
In Ohio in November, there’s more at stake than offices. After every census, an apportionment board convenes to create our state legislative districts, which then impact on how Ohio’s congressional districts are drawn. There are five members: One is chosen by each of the major parties in the legislature, so those break down equally. The other three are the governor, the auditor and the secretary of state.
In 2000, these offices were all held by Republicans. They sliced and diced the state so that even now, our state senate is 2-1 Republican even though statewide, votes split nearly evenly between the parties (Despite gerrymandering, Democrats took back the House last year). Our congressional districts were also chopped up into meandering messes to create a bunch of safe Republican seats — so despite the equal division of the voters, Ohio’s congressional delegation favored Republicans 12-6. Well, that was the idea anyway. It hasn’t quite worked out as the Republicans planned, and the delegation currently favors Democrats 10-8. Oh well.
With the election of a Democratic governor and secretary of state in 2006, Democrats were poised to control the apportionment board and do some fair district drawing (Most of us are opposed to pulling the same shit the Republicans did). Then SoS Jennifer Brunner announced her run for U.S. Senate last February. Instead of saying "Oh wow — a strong, appealing progressive who would be Ohio’s first woman senator — great!" and start recruiting another good SoS candidate, the party dithered around, and after lieutenant governor joined the senate race, there was talk of convincing Brunner to quit the senate race and run for reelection to SoS. They failed to take her determination seriously.
So now we’re stuck with a SoS candidate who is one of the worst candidates I’ve ever seen on a Democratic ticket, one who has little support among women, and whose support will crater further as women get to know about her. (Actually, I should say Democratic men as well. I just got off the phone with one who said he’ll leave this race blank in November). She’s an anti-choice radical who wants to outlaw almost all abortions, ban stem-cell research, enact a "fetal personhood" amendment and defund Planned Parenthood. She’s had three chances since being in the legislature to sign on to pregnancy prevention bills and failed to do so. She also won election initially by running to the right of her Republican opponent on gay marriage. She’s basically already lost the race to Republican Jon Husted.
Why did the party do this? you ask. We don’t know. The party deflects concerns with comments like "You need to sit down and talk to her" or "What she thinks about abortion doesn’t matter in the SoS office" or "You don’t want Jon Husted to win, do you?" Those are deeply unsatisfactory responses that have created a sense that the party doesn’t care about women except to have any female face on the ticket.
With that office as good as gone, controlling apportionment comes down to the low-profile, unsexy auditor slot. We’ve got a good candidate, Hamilton County (Cincinnati) commissioner David Pepper, a crisp, articulate speaker with a well-focused message outraised incumbent Republican Taylor by a large margin. But Taylor WAS the incumbent — until today.
And the GOP has no bench in Ohio. There was talk of moving former Senator Mike DeWine from the attorney general race, already a step down for an ex-senator. There was also talk of moving empty-suit money fountain Josh Mandel from the treasurer’s race Both said they are not switching races. Now I hear obscure ultra-right senator Seth Morgan has jumped in.
So at this point, I can’t conceive of Pepper losing the auditor race.
As for the governor contest, I know there’s been pessimism in some circles about Gov. Strickland’s reelection chances. I even hear from Democrats how disappointed they are in him because of everything that’s been cut from the state budget — programs dear to their hearts. But that’s not his fault. And John Kasich has an idea they’ll hate even more. He’ll repeal state income taxes – and 40% of state revenue! He’s refusing to answer questions about where he’ll find funds to replace this or what he’ll cut, claiming he’ll reveal all in due time. Rightwing anti-tax groups are calling his plan folly. Democrats in the state House have said they’re going to hold hearings on a bill introduced by Republicans in the legislature that echoes Kasich’s "plan," undoubtedly hoping to showboat on it in their campaigns. The last thing they want is hearings that will expose the hollow underpinnings of their "idea." Strickland will make mincemeat of Kasich.
But today, I send a big thank you out to Ohio’s Republican party. You saved us from the stupidity of slating a candidate few Democrats will support and losing an office we didn’t need to lose. Thanks for pulling Democratic victory from the jaws of Democratic self-defeat.