PRIMARY ELECTION Strickland: Bitter GOP fight helps me

The Democratic candidate expects attacks from the GOP governor nominee.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, the heavy favorite to win today's Democratic gubernatorial primary, said the bitter Republican primary for the same post can only help his campaign.
Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell of Cincinnati and Attorney General Jim Petro of Columbus, the two GOP candidates, have criticized each other and accused each other of being a "hypocrite" in television commercials.
"If they'd be this mean to each other, imagine what they'll do to me," Strickland said while drinking coffee and eating a toasted bagel Monday at the Bean Counter on East Federal Street.
"It takes your breath away. It's been one of the most personally negative primary campaigns I've ever seen. It's character assassination. They've called each other hypocrites and that's a harsh label."
Strickland is correct in anticipating an aggressive campaign against him, said Carlo LoParo, Blackwell's campaign spokesman.
"But [Blackwell] will be fair and honest," LoParo said.
Strickland, a six-term congressman from Lisbon, is expected to easily defeat ex-state Rep. Bryan Flannery of Strongsville in today's Democratic primary. Strickland expects Blackwell, besting Petro in every poll, to win his party's primary and face him in the November general election.
Beating Petro, the Republican Party establishment candidate, is tougher than beating Strickland in the general election, LoParo said.
Another angle
With Blackwell making personal attacks against Gov. Bob Taft and Petro, Strickland said he can't see Republican leaders making public endorsements of their party's gubernatorial nominee without it looking hollow.
Strickland, who's done well in Republican-controlled counties in his congressional career, expects moderate Republicans to support him in the November election, particularly because of Blackwell's strong conservative views.
Also, a bipartisan coalition forming to oppose Blackwell's constitutional amendment to restrict government spending on the November ballot will hurt the Republican in the voting booth, Strickland said.
"Ohio Republicans will not vote for Mr. Strickland," LoParo said.
Among the factions from which Blackwell is seeking support is that of Christian conservatives. Blackwell was a driving force behind the successful 2004 gay marriage ban amendment.
But Strickland, who served as a United Methodist minister and as an administrator at a Methodist children's home, said Blackwell's views directly contradict the teachings of Jesus.
"Jesus taught about compassion and forgiveness and concern for others," Strickland said. "My interpretation of Mr. Blackwell's public policies are quite the opposite. He's divisive, not compassionate, and insensitive to people."
LoParo said Ohio religious leaders disagree with Strickland's assessment of Blackwell.
Travel time
Running his first statewide campaign, Strickland said traveling a few hundred miles a day doesn't wear him out. That's because Strickland's 12-county 6th District stretches for about 350 miles from Mahoning County to Scioto County in south-central Ohio. In comparison, the 175 miles or so Strickland traveled Monday from Youngstown to Cleveland to Toledo isn't a long trip.
"People ask me if I'm tired with all the traveling," he said. "But I don't feel like I'm working harder or traveling more than I do working my district."
Though most of his traveling in the campaign is done in vehicles, state Rep. John Boccieri, a New Middletown Democrat and an Air Force Reserve captain, flew Strickland twice in small airplanes and will take the congressman from Cleveland to Columbus today.
Strickland, 64, said he is not nervous about today's primary, noting that a physical he had last week shows how relaxed he is.
The American Heart Association says the average male's resting heart rate -- beats per minute when he wakes up before getting out of bed -- is 60 to 80. Strickland said his resting heart rate is 44.
"I thought it would be a red flag, but I was told it was good," he said.
Write-in candidate
As for the 6th Congressional District race, Strickland continues to support state Sen. Charlie Wilson, a St. Clairsville Democrat. Wilson has to run as a write-in candidate because he failed to get at least 50 valid signatures from Democrats in the district, the minimum amount needed to get his name on the ballot.
"It was a terribly unfortunate blunder, but since then, there's been a monumental effort to educate the Democratic primary to vote for Charlie," Strickland said. "It's hard to know the outcome because nothing like this has happened before."
Four write-in congressional candidates have won in the nation's history, but none faced two candidates. Bob Carr of Wellsville and John Stephen Luchansky of Boardman are on the Democratic ballot in this congressional race.
skolnick@vindy.com