Ohio Democratic party chairman quits

11/23/2005

COLUMBUS The chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party quit today after three years, having failed to turn the party around from its long winless streak in statewide races.

Denny White replaced David Leland as party chairman in 2002. In that year s election Republicans swept statewide races, including the re-election of Gov. Bob Taft, and watched the GOP take one of only two statewide seats Democrats held after Ohio Supreme Court Justice Francis Sweeney retired.

That left Justice Alice Robie Resnick as the lone Democratic statewide officeholder. She is up for re-election next year but has not decided whether to run. The party has won only two statewide elections Sweeney and Resnick since 1994.

Last year, the state s 20 electoral votes gave President Bush the election over Democrat John Kerry.

White said the party had accomplished much by updating computer systems and putting more workers in the field.

I am proud of the work we have done together ... and I believe we are now ready to hit a homerun, White wrote in a letter to county chairs.

White is taking a job with the Franklin County Board of Elections, party spokesman Brian Rothenberg said. Vice-chairwoman Rhine McLin, the mayor of Dayton, assumes the job on an interim basis. It will be up to her to call for the election of the next chairman.

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