Brunner refuses to play ‘insiders’ game’

There were plenty of Democrats who hoped or believed Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wouldn’t go through with her plans to run for the U.S. Senate this year.

One scenario had Brunner, who’s struggling to raise money for her Senate bid, withdraw from that race and seek re-election as secretary of state.

The other scenario had Democratic leaders cutting a deal to make her Gov. Ted Strickland’s lieutenant governor running mate with the assurance that the party would support her for governor four years from now.

Neither is going to happen.

Brunner filed her nominating petitions Wednesday to run for the Senate.

In an e-mail to her supporters, Brunner took her shots at “Washington insiders” and downplayed the importance of money in the Senate race.

“I tried to play their game, which was mostly sitting in a call room to raise money from wealthy and powerful people,” she wrote. “When I turned my back on that, the insiders’ game plan against us was to get us out of the race by choking off funds. I knew that was wrong. You knew that was wrong. And together, we overcame these obstacles.”

It’s safe to assume that Brunner’s fund-raising problems continue with her putting the blame on others.

Brunner will face Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat being vacated by George V. Voinovich.

Polls show a close race between the two even though Fisher has raised a lot more money than Brunner. Those poll numbers could shift as we get closer to the May 4 primary and Fisher’s campaign airs significantly more television commercials than Brunner.

In an e-mail to reporters, Brunner “acknowledged that she is the underdog,” but “David killed Goliath with a rock and didn’t fight Goliath’s way. We know this is not a traditional campaign.”

There are some Democrats who aren’t thrilled with state Rep. Jennifer Garrison, the party’s only announced candidate for secretary of state. But they’re going to have to live with her as the candidate.

As for the lieutenant governor scenario, Brunner — like others — has shown no interest in it.

Strickland recently selected Yvette McGee Brown, a former Franklin County Common Pleas judge, as his running mate.

Brown retired as a judge eight years ago to create a center that focuses on preventing and treating child abuse.

While she has that great Brown surname, she’s unknown in state politics.

The selection shows that Democrats don’t think the selection of a lieutenant governor is important in Strickland’s re-election effort.

They’re probably right. Running mates are largely overrated.

Republican Bob Taft was re-elected governor in 2002 with Jennette Bradley, then a Columbus councilwoman, as his running mate.

Like Brown, they are both politically unknown black women from Columbus. I mention that they’re black women because Taft in 2002 and Strickland this year want diversity on their ticket.

Bradley didn’t help Taft win in 2002. The Democratic opposition was weak.

How little did Bradley bring to that ticket? Taft selected her in January 2005 to the vacant state treasurer’s post. When Bradley ran in 2006 for a full four-year term as treasurer she lost in the Republican primary to then-Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O’Brien, a complete political unknown. O’Brien was crushed in the general election by Democrat Richard Cordray, who is now the attorney general.

In 2006, Strickland selected Fisher as his running mate. It was a better selection than J. Kenneth Blackwell, the 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate, made when he chose then-state Rep. Tom Raga, also an unknown statewide name, as his running mate.

But it wouldn’t have mattered who Blackwell selected, he was going to lose.

John Kasich, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, chose Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor as his running mate. She’s better known than Brown, but she’s hardly a household name in the state.

The November gubernatorial election will be decided by a lot of factors.

It’s doubtful running mates are among the top reasons to vote for Strickland or Kasich.