Ohio Democratic Party

Wilkowski Rolls to Victory in Toledo, Gives Ohio Dems a Playbook

September 16, 2009 by Ohio Daily Blog

Democrat Keith Wilkowski rolled to victory last night in the Toledo Mayoral Primary finishing ahead of second-place finisher, Independent Candidate Mike Bell. Wilkowski and Bell will face off in the November election.

We're working on a larger piece on this race for tomorrow, but Wilkowski's advancement to the finals is a positive step for Democrats statewide. Here is a candidate talking about bold and radical reshaping of our economy through green jobs and serious retooling of what we do and how we do it - and voters are responding positively. The much-hyped, pending collapse of the Ohio Democratic Party, at least from the perspective of those on the red side of the aisle, appears to be way premature. Voters, at least in Toledo, are open to a serious discussion on how we get Ohio back on track.

Democrats statewide should pay close attention to Wilkowski and his message. He appears to be hitting the mark.

[UPDATED:] Reaction to yesterday's passage of HB 176 pouring in

September 16, 2009 by buckeyestateblog

Governor Ted Strickland-

“I applaud the leadership of House Speaker Armond Budish, Rep. Dan Stewart and Rep. Ross McGregor, as well as the bipartisan group of House members who today affirmed that Ohio is a welcoming and inclusive state.  This legislation will help attract and retain the talent Ohio businesses need to foster lasting economic growth and prosperity.  I am hopeful that I will have the opportunity to sign this bill into law.  This is an important step forward for Ohio, as nondiscrimination in employment and housing will ensure that all of our people are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Secretary of State/'10 Democratic Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner-

Today the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 176, landmark legislation to guarantee equal rights in housing and employment to persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered.

This legislation is a huge step forward for Ohio--especially in the aftermath of the 2004 constitutional amendment that was spearheaded by my predecessor in the Ohio Secretary of State's office, Ken Blackwell.

Garrison Must Go…

August 20, 2009 by BearsLeft

Here in the Buckeye State we are gearing up (already) for the 2010 elections.  So far we have a contested U.S Senate primary between one fully LGBT supportive candidate, Jennifer Brunner and one who “is open to the idea” - Lee Fisher.  Now, we are beginning to see a primary fight between Marilyn Brown and Jennifer Garrison for Secretary of State.  It’s not often that I brand a Democrat a bigot, but sometimes it is needed.

Let me first define what I mean by bigot in this instance. I label anyone who isn’t for full marriage equality a bigot. I think that any straight married person that isn’t for full marriage equality is an even bigger bigot, in that they hold the special distinction of being in the “I got mine” category. I realize that under this definition both Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama are bigots. So be it.

So, in this Secretary of State contest we have two women. Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown and State Representative Jennifer Garrison.

Time to Hang It Up Mr. Coats…

May 27, 2009 by BearsLeft

The Ohio House Democratic Caucus rejected bigotry today and appointed Robin Belcher to fill the remainder of Rep. Higgins term.

Congratulations are in order to Equality Ohio, the Ohio Democratic Party’s LGBT Caucus, Ask Cleveland, and any other organization that may have been engaged in this effort.

Mr. Coats - your 15 minutes? They are over.

GOP Pattern of Deceit on Jennifer Brunner's Record

September 10, 2008 by buckeyestateblog

Well, folks, the Ohio GOP is back, doing what they do best. As in, lying through their teeth.

The following list of "offenses" by Jennifer Brunner was put out today in an Ohio GOP press release. We'll point out their lies one by one:

Brunner spent millions of tax dollars to fund a biased study of Ohio's electronic voting system.

The Ohio GOP says its biased because they didn't like the result (that electronic voting systems are unreliable), and are apparently unmoved by last month's announcement that the voting machines in Butler County, one of Ohio's reddest, miscounted votes, which to a reasonable observer would appear to be evidence that the studies' conclusion was sound.

Brunner selectively targeted and removed Republican elections officials who publicly opposed her.

She removed Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, yes, but she also removed the entire board because of the hopelessly incompetent elections they had administered. And guess what, the new board got through the March primary with nary a scratch.

Brunner ordered election administrators to illegally create a process allowing a person to register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day.