Strickland lends press secretary to the Kerry-Edwards campaign

The Strickland official will help the Democratic ticket in the Valley.
YOUNGSTOWN -- U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland's press secretary is taking a leave of absence until the day after Election Day to help the Kerry-Edwards campaign in the Mahoning Valley.
Chad Tanner will shortly begin working out of the downtown Youngstown office shared by the Mahoning County Democratic Party and the Kerry-Edwards campaign. He was in Columbus on Tuesday getting briefed on his duties.
Tanner will assist with Democratic presidential campaign events in the Mahoning Valley, said Brendon Cull, spokesman for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Ohio.
"We're excited because of how well Ted Strickland's respected, and we're glad Chad will be on loan," Cull said.
Tanner's first assignment will be to travel with former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, national veterans coordinator for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, as he speaks Thursday and Friday in the Valley.
Strickland, of Lisbon, D-6th, is running for re-election to the U.S. House and faces a write-in candidate in the 12-county congressional district.
Tanner, who's worked for Strickland since April 2000, said he's excited to be involved in a political campaign, particularly one as important as the presidential election.