Sherrod Brown is
not running for governor of Ohio in 2006.
Brown's decision frees Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, the only Democrat who has announced his candidacy, of a potentially daunting challenge in a 2006 gubernatorial primary. Brown, a former Ohio secretary of state, is known as an effective strategist and could have mounted a savvy campaign.
But at least two other Democrats still could give Coleman a primary: television personality Jerry Springer and Lee Fisher, the former state attorney general and 1998 Democratic gubernatorial candidate . . . .
[...]
Among Republicans, three candidates are now running for governor: Ken Blackwell, the secretary of state; Betty Montgomery, the state auditor; and Jim Petro, the state attorney general.