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Who’s running for auditor?
On the side
Young Republicans: Two Mahoning County college students were named to a committee of young Republicans helping to get Rob Portman elected to the U.S. Senate.
Named to the “Generation Portman Steering Committee” are Danelle Gagliardi, a Canfield High School graduate who is a junior at The Ohio State University and vice chairwoman of the school’s College Republicans; and Greg DiTullio, chairman of the Youngstown State University College Republicans.
They are among a dozen members of the committee, who will help garner support for Portman among younger voters.
War of 1812: Gov. Ted Strickland appointed Columbiana County Recorder Craig Brown of Salem as a member of the state’s War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.
The commission will organize efforts to honor Ohioans who served during that war and raise awareness of the state’s role in the war.
The down-ticket statewide races don’t typically receive much attention.
There aren’t too many people excited about those races, including the one for state auditor.
Chances are a majority of Ohioans haven’t heard of the candidates.
They are:
— Democrat David Pepper, serving his first term as Hamilton County commissioner after two terms on Cincinnati’s city council.
—Republican Dave Yost, a two-term Delaware County prosecutor and former one-term Delaware County auditor.
— Libertarian L. Michael Howard, the only CPA in the race and a former chief auditor for the state auditor’s office.
While this campaign is largely flying under the radar, the auditor’s contest is one of the more interesting races on the ballot.
Republicans gave up an almost guaranteed win for auditor when incumbent Mary Taylor opted to run instead for lieutenant governor with John Kasich, the Republican gubernatorial nominee.
Taylor made the decision in mid-January, giving Pepper a late Christmas present.
He went from long-shot candidate to someone who has a very legitimate chance to be elected statewide.
After Taylor left the auditor’s race, the Ohio Republican Party had to make a choice fast.
The party used Taylor’s vacancy as a way to get itself out of a sticky situation.
Ex-U.S. Sen. Mike De-Wine and Yost had announced their intentions to run for attorney general and unless something was done, the two were going to face off in a divisive primary.
GOP leaders convinced Yost to leave the AG’s race and run for auditor with the party’s endorsement. Yost won his party’s primary, but continues to be strapped for cash.
The party stepped up again, recently giving $100,000 to Yost for his campaign.
Even so, Pepper has a huge financial lead on Yost. As of Aug. 4, the last campaign finance filing date, Pepper had $1,424,046 in cash on hand compared to $266,136 for Yost. Howard has less than $100.
The main issue in the race is how the candidates handle taxpayers’ money.
Pepper and Yost both say they’re fiscal conservatives and accuse the other of being out-of-control spenders.
So who wins?
As with most down-ticket races, it’s the top of the ticket that decides the victor.
In 2006, Democrat Ted Strickland cruised to an easy victory in the gubernatorial race over Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell. Every Democratic statewide executive candidate — except Barbara Sykes, who lost to Taylor for auditor — won that year.
It’s not going to be as easy for Strickland this time around, running against Kasich.
A Kasich win could carry Yost to victory even if Pepper significantly outspends his Republican opponent.