THE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WILL 'KEEP THE PRESSURE' ON HIS OPPONENT.

The gubernatorial candidate will 'keep the pressure' on his opponent.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Despite strong criticism from the state Republican chairman, Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell says he won't halt his aggressive campaign against his GOP gubernatorial primary opponent.
Blackwell's campaign began airing television and radio commercials this week accusing Attorney General Jim Petro, the other Republican in the party's May 2 gubernatorial campaign, of taking away state business from lawyers who wouldn't give him campaign contributions. Petro strongly denies the accusation.
The ads also allege Petro is involved in recent Republican scandals and has "ethics worse than" GOP Gov. Bob Taft. A judge found Taft guilty last year of four misdemeanor ethics violations.
"We'll keep the pressure on Petro," said Blackwell, who was in Youngstown on Wednesday for a political fund-raiser and to swear in new elections board members.
GOP criticism
Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett referred to Blackwell's commercials as "smear tactics and attack ads."
"I expect this kind of negative campaigning from the Democrats, but Ken Blackwell should have a better strategy for winning this primary than simply burning down the house," Bennett added.
A defiant Blackwell said he told Bennett he's not looking to burn the house down, but quoted a biblical passage that "fires can be purifying."
Blackwell said he has no intention of altering his campaign strategy.
He also mocked Petro on Wednesday as "Taft-like" and "Taft-light."
Blackwell attacked Petro for being "asleep at the switch" on a number of financial issues dating to 1994 when the attorney general was a Cuyahoga County commissioner. During that year, an investment fund collapsed and cost the county $114 million.
Petro responds
On his campaign Web site Wednesday, Petro responded to Blackwell's criticisms calling the secretary of state's campaign strategy as engaging "in a scorched-Earth campaign of misinformation, deceptive push polls and outrageous ads."
Petro said Blackwell "apparently believes the dangerous dictum that if you tell a lie that is big enough, people will believe it."
Petro called Blackwell's tactics "dirty and dishonest politics at its absolute worst."
Blackwell said Petro flip-flops on key issues such as abortion, the right to bear arms and taxes.
"People can change their mind, but his is a career of convenient conversions," Blackwell said of Petro. Blackwell said he is proud of his consistent conservative view on those issues.
skolnick@vindy.com