OHIO Deters expects to drop race bid

The state treasurer would withdraw from a primary for the sake of Republican unity, his campaign coordinator says.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
COLUMBUS -- Ohio Treasurer Joseph T. Deters, whose dream has been to serve as the state's attorney general, is poised to abandon that goal and announce he will not run for the position next year.
Deters and state Auditor Jim Petro, another Republican seeking the attorney general post, have had conversations in recent weeks about the state treasurer's withdrawing from next year's AG primary and instead running for re-election, said Jason Mauk, Ohio Republican Party spokesman and Matt Borges, Deters' campaign coordinator.
A decision from Deters is imminent, Mauk said. A Deters' source said the treasurer could make the announcement today, but most likely will do it next week.
Deters would pull out only for the sake of Republican unity, Borges said.
"We're confident he could win a primary," he said. "But the situation has become a little bit different now because there's a very clear directive coming from the party."
Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett recently stepped in to facilitate talks to get Deters out of the race at the request of numerous party leaders, who "made it very clear they want to avoid a costly and potentially divisive primary," Mauk said.
GOP costs: The Republican primary race for attorney general could cost about $5 million and had the potential of leaving the winner damaged heading into the November 2002 general election, Mauk said.
"That's obviously a concern of the party so the state committee asked Chairman Bennett to see if he could find a resolution in the next few weeks and perhaps talk the treasurer into running for re-election instead," he said.
Petro, who can't run next year for auditor because of the state's term limits law, has attracted more Republican endorsements than Deters, a first-term state treasurer who could run for re-election next year. Petro is seen as the Republicans' preferred choice for attorney general because of the greater support from within the party and because he can't run for auditor again.
Attorney General Betty Montgomery, a Republican, cannot run next year for re-election because of the term limits law and will campaign for state auditor.
During several interviews over the past few months, Deters said he was committed to running for attorney general. The former Hamilton County prosecutor said winning that position would be the fulfillment of a long-time goal and although he has enjoyed his time as state treasurer, he would prefer to be the state's top law enforcement official.
"I didn't come to Columbus just for a paycheck," Deters said last month. "I'm not running for attorney general so I can run for governor in four years. I'm running for the job because I want it."
The governor comment was in reference to Petro, who is considered a likely candidate for the state's top political office in 2006.
"He's still young and knows there are still plenty of opportunities down the road if he doesn't run this time," Borges said of Deters, 44.
State political sources with knowledge of the negotiations between the two candidates say the most-likely scenario is Deters will withdraw with the promise that Petro will serve only one term as attorney general and then endorse Deters for the job in 2006.
Also, the state Republican Party will do all it can to make sure Deters has no primary opposition for that race.
Possible kinks: There are two potential hold-ups, the sources say.
One is that Petro wants Deters' endorsement for governor in 2006. That is something Deters cannot promise at this time because U.S. Sen. Michael DeWine, Deters' political ally, might want the seat.
The other problem is that when Deters said he would not run for re-election, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a former state treasurer, said he would seek the job.
Mauk acknowledges this could be a problem similar to the attorney general situation because there would be two current Republican state officeholders going after the same job.
"If that scenario plays out, the party will speak to both candidates and we'd have to work out an agreement there," Mauk said.
If Blackwell were to seek re-election to secretary of state, the front-running Republican candidates for the post -- Lee Weingart, a former Cuyahoga County commissioner, and state Rep. Ann Womer Benjamin of Aurora -- would probably pull out of the race .
If Deters and Blackwell run for re-election -- a scenario Mauk said would be a dream come true -- the Republicans will have two candidates seeking posts they do not necessarily want.
skolnick@vindy.com