Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) is a true blue corner of Ohio. In 2004, voters in our county favored John Kerry over George W. Bush by a two-to-one margin. In 2006, voters here favored Democrat Ted Strickland for governor by a three-to-one margin. In both cases, Cuyahoga County produced the largest single block of Democratic votes in Ohio.
But something happened today that could cost some Democratic votes this November.
The Cuyahoga County and Cleveland local governments are dominated by Democrats. Rumors of corruption have existed for some time. Today, rumors became front-page news.
As part of a joint operation, up to 200 agents from both the FBI and the IRS executed search warrants at the county administration building, the county data center, the county engineer’s office, three private construction companies (one owned by the son of the county auditor), and the homes of the county’s auditor, its information technology director and one of its commissioners (who also is the head of the county’s Democratic party).
The search warrants were sealed, so the federal agents aren’t talking about what they’re doing other than to say that it is part of a long-term public corruption investigation.
Only time will tell what will come of this, but the investigation sounds extensive and could generate an ongoing storyline between now and the election.
My concern is potential voter backlash against Democrats this November. Because of disgust with Republican corruption, Ohio saw a lot of votes turn blue in 2006. Now it looks like the shoe might be on the other foot.
I don’t think the question is whether Obama will win in Cuyahoga County. He will. After all, it is a deep blue area and is almost 30% black. The question is how much he will win by.
Ohio is a crucial state, and polling is showing a tight race. Cuyahoga County will likely be the largest concentration of Ohio votes for Obama this November, so he can’t afford to lose any votes here.
So far, Obama’s general election campaign has focused on capturing redder areas of Ohio. Given today’s news and the storyline that will be playing out, I think he has to take some time to play some defense here.