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ON THE SIDE. . .
This and that from the world of Valley politics.
GOP SLATE: Ohio Treasurer Joseph Deters' decision to resign in January to serve as Hamilton County prosecutor may change the face of the 2006 Republican statewide slate in several ways.
Deters was expected to be the GOP's choice for attorney general, but he may not run. Expect Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett to urge Attorney General Jim Petro or Auditor Betty Montgomery, the former attorney general, to run for that job in '06. Both are gubernatorial candidates along with J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state. The three have no plans to withdraw from the governor's race.
Having an open attorney general seat and no well-known Republican seeking the position may force Bennett to apply pressure to Petro or Montgomery to run for the job. Ann Womer Benjamin, the state's insurance director, may run for the job.
A recent rumor has U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, who is running for re-election in November, considering a run in 2006 for governor.
I seriously doubt that will happen, but don't be at all surprised if Voinovich, expected to be re-elected in November to a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate, quits before his term expires. U.S. Rep. Rob Portman of Cincinnati, a President Bush favorite, is his likely successor.
skolnick@vindy.com