Strickland’s backing key to Clinton win in Ohio

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Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon)

YOUNGSTOWN — U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose campaign seemed to falter during the past month, needed to win the Ohio primary to remain a viable contender for the Democratic presidential nominee.

While there were factors working against her heading into Tuesday’s Ohio primary, such as losing 11 straight state Democratic races, Clinton won Ohio by 10 percentage points.

At or near the top of the list of reasons Clinton, D-N.Y., won is the strong endorsement the New York senator received from Gov. Ted Strickland, said local politicians and political experts. The Democrat, formerly of Lisbon, traveled across the state campaigning with and for Clinton.

“If you had to draw a cartoon of the primary it would be a finish line with Hillary Clinton being carried by Ted Strickland,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th. “Ted Strickland single-handedly blunted [U.S. Sen.] Barack Obama’s momentum from Super Tuesday. He gave her a lot of credibility.”

Strickland’s tireless campaigning for Clinton, particularly in eastern Ohio, was key to her victory, said state Rep. Tom Letson of Warren, Obama’s Trumbull County chairman and an Obama delegate.

“It’s pretty difficult to overcome a popular governor who did such a great job in helping her campaign,” said Letson, D-64th. “He did a marvelous job for them. No one is going to underestimate Ted Strickland’s draw in this state for a long time to come. I directly relate her strength in eastern Ohio to Ted Strickland.”

Read more in Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com