Pressure is on to reduce GOP field

All three Republican candidates are vowing to stay in the race.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Republicans will be pressured into narrowing their three-candidate field for governor now that the Democrats have a front-runner, political analysts say.
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland was left as the clear Democratic favorite with the exit Tuesday of Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman from the race.
Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, Attorney General Jim Petro and Auditor Betty Montgomery all are seeking the Republican nomination.
Bob Bennett, the state Republican chairman since 1988, is considered a master at avoiding primaries, saving campaign money and maintaining party unity. But much work is ahead of him if he is to dodge one May 2.
No independent statewide polling has been conducted recently, but most polling by the campaigns finds Blackwell leading among Republicans. In response, Petro has been airing a series of television ads, calling Blackwell's plan to curb government spending risky and presenting his own credentials as a values-oriented conservative, ground currently claimed by Blackwell.
Bennett helped to encourage Taft to leave the 1990 race for governor in favor of George Voinovich and persuaded Blackwell to step aside for Taft in 1998.
Poll scheduled
The party will conduct a poll and share it with the candidates before the Feb. 16 candidate filing deadline, spokesman John McClelland said. The party hopes the results will persuade at least one candidate to seek another office, he said.
"To have two of our stars on the sidelines in February, we would like to avoid that," McClelland said. "At this point, I don't know that we have any expectation on the part of the three candidates."
A three-way primary could push the party to the right as the candidates try to appeal to conservatives, who are more likely than moderates to vote in primaries, said John Green, a political science professor at the University of Akron.
"Just from the point of view of a party, it would be better to have a clear-cut battle between a conservative candidate and a moderate candidate," Green said.
Campaigns' lines
All three campaigns, of course, say their candidates are in to stay. Petro should build some momentum from his ads, now in their third week. How much or how long it lasts is unknown, Blackwell campaign spokesman Gene Pierce said.
"There's no reason for us to get out. I can't imagine what that could be. Even if Petro's little run generates some momentum, it's false momentum," Pierce said.
Petro's ads, which are being broadcast statewide, have drawn predictable responses from the other campaigns, said Bob Paduchik, his campaign chairman.
"We don't feel any pressure to move out. We're driving the agenda right now," Paduchik said. "Everybody else is sniping on the edges."
Last month, Montgomery told about 200 central Ohio Republicans -- and Petro and Blackwell -- "we should get comfortable with the fact that we're going to have a primary fight," according to The Columbus Dispatch. "Stop hoping for a back-room deal at the 11th hour to avoid it."
That hasn't changed, campaign spokesman Mark Weaver said.
"Right now, her entire focus is being Ohio's next governor. This is the one [race] she thinks she can make the most difference in," Weaver said.
William Binning, a Youngstown State University political scientist who has worked with Republican officeholders, said the pressure is on Bennett.
"The party's role is paramount now," he said. "Once the filing date occurs, I don't think the party can do much. The game is on."