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FitzGerald blasts his critics
On the side
Finance reports: The 3rd quarter campaign finance reports for U.S. House members and their opponents must be filed with the Federal Election Commission by late Wednesday. Of particular interest will be if Democrat Jennifer Garrison has enough money to afford television commercials in her bid for the 6th Congressional District seat.
Early in the campaign, Garrison of Marietta was busy raising money, including a November 2013 event with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer. As of June 30, she had given $137,303 in loans and in-kind contributions to her campaign.
But during her recent endorsement interview, she criticized incumbent Republican Bill Johnson of Marietta for focusing on raising money from those in power in Washington, D.C.
She added: “I am hopeful that this is an election where you don’t have to raise as much money as the other side, that getting out and talking about your message of bipartisanship and working every day to create jobs is your job.”
Ed FitzGerald, the Democratic nominee for governor, accepts some responsibility for problems that have left him facing nearly insurmountable odds to beat incumbent Republican John Kasich in the Nov. 4 general election.
But FitzGerald also seems stunned that the focus of the campaign has centered on what he describes as “minor” issues.
At the top of that list is the discovery in early August that FitzGerald, Cuyahoga County executive, drove for about a decade without a permanent driver’s license.
“It was something I was careless about,” he said. “I’ve said that on any number of occasions.”
It’s gotten so bad that FitzGerald said Monday during his endorsement interview with The Vindicator that he’s been answering questions about it for the past 90 days when it’s actually been about 60 days.
Public servant
“It didn’t hurt my constituents in any way,” he said. “It’s not indicative of the kind of public servant I’ve been, and there are some people who are trying to make it the fundamental issue in a campaign for governor.”
During the hour-long interview, FitzGerald took a number of shots, most of them veiled, at the media and how the campaign has been covered.
But when I asked him point-blank if it was the media’s fault that his campaign is struggling, Fitz-Gerald said no.
“A candidate has the responsibility to talk about substantive things and try to present policy suggestions and initiatives that they think would serve the state well,” he said. “Voters have a responsibility to focus on the important issues and complex issues, and try to understand them. And media outlets have a responsibility too.”
FitzGerald later said there are “probably” some media companies that are “not fulfilling what their responsibilities are.”
I asked about The Vindicator, and he said no.
I asked about his hometown newspaper, The Plain Dealer, and FitzGerald said, “Let the chips fall where they may in terms of who that fits or who it doesn’t fit.”
FitzGerald also said he was being written off by journalists and columnists when polls showed him trailing Kasich by single digits.
“There was very little media coverage that the race was competitive,” he said. “Everyone can do better I suppose.”
Kasich’s record
FitzGerald said there are some who “find my situation more compelling than” Kasich’s record, which the Democrat said hasn’t helped the state’s economy, the working class, local governments and school districts.
“I can give you a long list of things that John Kasich has done in his private affairs and his public affairs that are much more indicative of what kind of governor he’s been and much more indicative of his character, but I can’t control whether or not that’s what’s going to be reported on or focused on,” FitzGerald said.