43
‘Courage’ keeps Brunner moving
By DAVID SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
It’s not luxurious or all that comfortable, and it’s a challenge to write or drink when it’s moving.
But Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the May 4 primary in a 1991 International school bus she bought on eBay for $2,050.
“The Courage Express,” on the road for only a few days, stopped Wednesday in Youngstown, Struthers and Girard.
Brunner’s campaign purchased the bus from the Licking County public school system.
The campaign had the tail pipe replaced, painted it silver, stenciled “The Courage Express” and a few other sayings and hit the road.
“This is how we’ll campaign through March 4,” Brunner said on the bus as it bounced its way from Youngstown — where she spoke at a Mahoning County drug-court graduation ceremony — to Struthers — to visit Aesir Metals, a new company that operates out of the former pump house for Youngstown Sheet & Tube’s Struthers Works.
She then visited the Girard Multi-Generational Center before heading to Ashtabula and Lake counties.
Brunner spent time in 2006, when she was running for secretary of state, on Ted Strickland’s gubernatorial campaign bus.
“It was quite cushy,” she said of Strickland’s bus.
As for The Courage Express, she said: “It’s a little bumpy; it could probably use some better shocks. The idea is this is a grass-roots campaign and to meet as many people as I can.”
And for a campaign that’s struggled to raise the money needed for a Senate run, the price for the bus is right. Brunner’s campaign beat out two other bidders on eBay, paying $2,050 for the bus with about 150,000 miles on it.
Brunner will face Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the Democratic primary. The winner faces Republican Rob Portman in November.
Brunner said she raised more money in the first three months of this year than the $94,998 she raised in the last three months of 2009. She didn’t give specifics.
Senate candidates don’t have to file campaign finance reports for the first three months of this year with the Federal Election Commission until today.
Money has been an issue for Brunner’s campaign. Brunner raised $677,659 for her Senate race last year compared with $3.35 million for Fisher.
Fisher’s campaign said Wednesday that it raised $551,000 during the first three months and had $1.8 million in the account as of March 31. Also, Fisher began airing commercials Wednesday statewide on cable television and will be on the local networks Friday.
Portman raised $7.5 million last year. His campaign recently announced he raised $2.35 million in this year’s first quarter and had $7.6 million cash on hand as of March 31.
Brunner has accused Fisher of impeding her ability to raise money by telling people not to contribute to her. Fisher strongly denies the claim.