Ohioans pick Fisher, OK jobs issue

Combined dispatches

COLUMBUS

Democratic voters in Ohio have selected the lieutenant governor as their candidate in a highly contested U.S. Senate race.

Lee Fisher was chosen in Tuesday’s primary to face former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, a Republican, in the fall campaign to replace retiring GOP Sen. George Voinovich.

Ohio voters also renewed the Third Frontier initiative that seeks to create high-tech jobs, and they approved relocation of a planned Columbus casino.

On the Republican side, voters chose Delaware County prosecutor David Yost to run for state auditor in the fall against Democrat David Pepper, president of the Hamilton County commissioners.

State Sen. Jon Husted was selected as the GOP’s secretary of state nominee to face Democrat Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, clerk at the Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus.

Ohio Democrats selected Fisher, a seasoned statewide officeholder with a gift for fundraising to try to win an open U.S. Senate seat this fall. He is a former state attorney general endorsed by the governor, soundly defeated Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the party’s nod. Brunner bucked the party establishment in her bid to become Ohio’s first female senator. She pitched the move with voters as a mark of courage but ultimately lacked the campaign cash and name ID to overcome Fisher’s party ties and fundraising prowess.

On statewide issues, Issue 1 extends the Third Frontier program to 2016 by authorizing the issue of $700 million in additional bonds over four years. The program, which has bipartisan support at a time when the state’s unemployment rate is 11 percent, provides startup money for companies in industries such as alternative energy and biomedical research.

With 83 percent of precincts reporting unofficial results Tuesday, Issue 1 passed 62 percent to 38 percent.

Issue 2 changes the location of the Columbus casino approved by voters last year from a downtown neighborhood to a former auto-parts factory on the city’s west side.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting, Issue 2 passed 69 percent to 31 percent. Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman said, “This came together as a result of the spirit of the West Side.”

City Council President Michael Mentel said Issue 2’s passage is a victory for the West Side, the Arena District and casino developer Penn National.

“This is not just a win,” Mentel said. “This is a win-win-win.”