Gubernatorial race gets national focus

Blackwell is the first black candidate to be nominated as Ohio governor.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- National party leaders waded into the fray as soon as Ohioans picked their nominees for governor, signaling the intense interest in who will run the nation's bellwether political state during the 2008 presidential election.
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lisbon, is seen as the Democrats' best chance in years to win the governor's seat in Ohio, a state where Republicans have ruled all three branches of government for about a decade.
The Democratic Governors Association acted quickly to label his GOP opponent, Kenneth Blackwell, "a Taft Republican," seeking to tie him to the scandal-wracked administration of term-limited Gov. Bob Taft, who pleaded no contest last year to ethics violations.
Response
But Blackwell rejected the inference.
"We have an agenda that can turn our economy around," he said after Tuesday's primary. "It is not an extension of the last seven years. It is not an extension of the status quo."
With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Strickland held a lead of about 60 points over challenger Bryan Flannery, a former state representative. Blackwell, the secretary of state, won 56 percent of the vote to beat Attorney General Jim Petro.
Blackwell gained fame as the Republican chief elections official in Ohio in 2004, when the state returned President Bush to the White House.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, meanwhile, leaped in to attack Strickland's "history of staying with the status quo" -- in a clear effort to distance Blackwell from the controlling GOP.
Blackwell and Strickland were together on one thing Tuesday: Ohioans will have a clear choice in the fall.
Issues
Blackwell's signature issue is smaller government and lower taxes. Strickland wants government that's better run, particularly when it comes to public education.
Blackwell is a free marketeer, Strickland a supporter of a higher minimum wage. Strickland favors abortion rights, Blackwell opposes abortion. And the list goes on.
Still, within hours of winning their party primaries, each was preaching a message of moderation and unity -- attempting to position himself as the best candidate to represent all Ohioans, not just members of a single party.
In his acceptance speech, Strickland welcomed Democrats, Republicans and Ohio's nearly 4 million independent voters to support his party's "Turnaround Ohio" campaign. Blackwell called upon even former Ohioans who have moved away -- like his own son, who lives in Denver -- to support his "agenda for change."
Strickland said Blackwell's views -- including his support for a government-limiting constitutional amendment on the fall ballot -- are "far outside the mainstream" and that Ohioans won't support him.
Distinction
As the first black nominated as Ohio governor, Blackwell is expected to have some cross-over appeal with black voters often counted on to help elect Democrats.
In his Tuesday statement, Mehlman called the GOP "the party of Lincoln" and said it "welcomes more African Americans back home" with candidates like Blackwell to offer.
Democrats are energized, however, by the woes of Taft and his party. They united quickly and aggressively behind Strickland and his running mate, former Attorney General Lee Fisher, to maximize his chances in November.
Blackwell picked state Rep. Tom Raga, a fellow Cincinnati Republican, as his running mate. He said Raga is an important voice in the state Legislature and that their ticket can serve to unite the party and prove that they have moved away from a state scandal over an investment in rare coins.