The newest poll proves the Ohio Democratic Party was right in declining to make an official endorsement in the race for governor. Democratic voters are clearly undecided about their best candidate for the general election.
The SurveyUSA poll showed Richard Cordray and Dennis Kucinich tied with 21 percent each among Democratic voters, who will vote for the party’s nominee on May 8.
EDITORIAL: The professional
The poll numbers must be like cold water to Mr. Cordray’s gubernatorial ambitions and could well be a harbinger of the outcome in the November general election.
Voters who are paying attention to the race for governor are seeing the political equivalent of Muhammed Ali’s “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” philosophy from Dennis Kucinich.
We won’t take the analogy too far because so far Mr. Kucinich hasn’t punched out anybody’s lights, but then neither has Mr. Cordray.
While Mr. Cordray plods around the state taking conservative or noncommital stands on issues, Mr. Kucinich is lighting up the landscape with an idea-driven campaign.
He’s gained traction by being in favor of an assault weapons ban, while Mr. Cordray’s position on guns is only slightly to the left of the Republican leadership in the Ohio General Assembly.
Mr. Kucinich shows more strength among young voters and black voters than Mr. Cordray. Also, his voters in the poll say they are more likely to vote than those supporting Mr. Cordray.
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Clearly, Mr. Cordray was long-awaited by the Democratic establishment in the state. Mindful of the failure of its hand-picked candidate Ed FitzGerald in 2014, the party has trod, with some success, a neutral course so that its nominee is the people’s choice. He and running mate Betty Sutton have accumulated many endorsements among political leaders, including U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo). Even though Mr. Kucinich and his running mate, Tara Samples, position themselves as a ticket of working people, Mr. Cordray is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, and the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
What he still hasn’t aroused is the enthusiasm of the average Ohio voter. He’ll need momentum against Republican Mike DeWine, even if 2018 is a Democratic wave year.
First Published April 2, 2018, 9:30 p.m.
