DAVID SKOLNICK \ Politics State Treasurer Bradley's defeat revealing

Belated kudos to Ashtabula County Auditor Sandy O'Brien for her stunning upset in last month's Republican primary for Ohio treasurer.
O'Brien defeated incumbent Treasurer Jennette Bradley 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent even though Bradley had all the advantages.
Bradley had a professional campaign staff while O'Brien had a few volunteers and served as her own campaign spokeswoman.
Bradley raised well over $500,000 for her campaign. O'Brien raised about 10 percent of that amount, and most of her money came from loans given by her husband, Patrick, to the campaign.
Bradley was the incumbent, had the Ohio Republican Party endorsement, had run statewide as Gov. Bob Taft's lieutenant gubernatorial running mate in 2002, had served as a member of city council in Columbus and had extensive banking experience.
O'Brien had never run statewide, is a former elementary school teacher, and is serving her third four-year term as auditor in Ashtabula County, hardly a Republican base of power.
There are many theories as to why O'Brien won, and there's legitimacy to all of them.
Bradley's ties to Taft, who has record low approval ratings and is the only Ohio governor convicted of a crime while in office, hurt her.
O'Brien criticized Bradley with regard to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation investment scandal even though the treasurer had nothing to do with it.
Bradley's position on social issues -- pro-choice and a vote while on Columbus council to give benefits to city employees' domestic partners -- didn't help in a primary that saw staunch conservative J. Kenneth Blackwell win his party's gubernatorial nomination. O'Brien rode Blackwell's coattails in the primary and hopes to do the same in the general.
O'Brien proudly boasts about being a social conservative who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and an opponent to granting spousal benefits to nonmarried couples even though they essentially have nothing to do with being state treasurer.
One of Bradley's most significant drawbacks is she doesn't come across well. She's a banker first, and no offense to bankers, but she's got the personality of one.
Bradley would rather discuss financial investments and transactions than politics. That makes her a good state treasurer. It also makes her very dull on the campaign trail.
While congratulations are in order for O'Brien's impressive win in the Republican primary, she's about to get a reality check in the general election.
Richard Cordray, Franklin County treasurer since 2002, is the Democratic nominee.
Cordray is a political opportunist who clearly saw Bradley's vulnerability. In a one-on-one match-up with Bradley, Cordray would have won. There is little doubt he'll do the same with O'Brien in the general election.
O'Brien proved money isn't everything in this race. But Cordray raised more than $1 million before the primary, and there is no reason to believe he won't bury O'Brien under piles of money in the general election.
Bradley didn't do much in the way of advertising during the primary which kept the race under the radar screen. Cordray won't make that mistake against O'Brien.
Republicans are focused on statewide races they believe they can win. That means the party faithful will not devote enough time or money for O'Brien to be competitive against Cordray, a former state House member and Ohio's first state solicitor.
Cordray has significantly more statewide recognition than O'Brien. This is Cordray's third statewide campaign. He lost the two previous campaigns, but rehabilitated his political career winning the Franklin County treasurer's race in 2002 for an unexpired term, and winning a full four-year term in 2004.
As Franklin County treasurer, he manages an investment portfolio of about $500 million, so he has the financial experience for this job.
Cordray is seen as a rising political star among Democrats, and someone who doesn't hide the fact that he wants to run for other statewide offices in the future.
O'Brien pulled off a big win last month over an established Columbus-based politician. But she's going to be hard-pressed to do it twice in one year.