Statewide Candidates Stake Their Positions: Round the Rotunda

By Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb 13, 2010, Original Article

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The statewide political deck has been shuffled and reshuffled so much lately that it would give arm cramps to a Vegas blackjack dealer.

Party bosses Kevin DeWine for the GOP and Chris Redfern for the Democrats have been busy cajoling, backroom-dealing their way through a winter of discontent, both self-inflicted and otherwise.

Each has emerged with a statewide ticket that becomes official Thursday with some seriously strange contours to it. Chew on this: The Republican and Democratic candidates that appear to be in the best position to win come November aren't well-known incumbents, and both have appeared on the statewide ballot exactly as many times as me.

For the GOP, the strongest of the bunch appears to be Josh Mandel, a 32-year-old Lyndhurst lawmaker whose two tours of Marine combat service and kid-from-Northeast-Ohio pedigree have Republican power brokers writing "I *heart* Josh" in their Trapper Keepers.

Mandel isn't afraid of good old-fashioned shoe leather, having knocked on just about every door in his district to rack up wide margins in a pair of state rep races in a Democratic-leaning suburban district.

Just as impressive has been the $2 million pile of cash Mandel has amassed by tapping into a network of small contributors through the Internet as well as hitting up the usual big donors. And he hails from Northeast Ohio, Democratic turf where any Republican who can hold his own has a sizable edge in winning across Ohio.

Mandel's strong early position is also aided by the contrast that it draws with appointed State Treasurer Kevin Boyce, who has only $646,524 on hand -- a pile propped up by almost $250,000 air-lifted from state Democratic Party coffers.

The former Columbus city councilman has been haunted by ongoing internal office problems highlighted by the departure of his chief of staff last month, a situation that can't have helped when trying to get his campaign afloat. Boyce can't count on much more help from the party as all available hands on deck will be focused this November on the trio of 2010 races -- governor, secretary of state and auditor -- that have seats on the Apportionment Board, which draws legislative districts.

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