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2 Dem candidates for US Senate get endorsements
YOUNGSTOWN
Two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates announced endorsements with ex-Gov. Ted Strickland, doing so minutes before a news conference his underdog opponent, Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, had in Akron.
Sittenfeld picked up endorsements Tuesday by top Democratic officials in Summit County.
They include county Executive Russ Pry, county Council President Eileen Shapiro, state Sen. Tom Sawyer and state Rep. Emilia Sykes. Sawyer served in the U.S. House with Strickland.
About 90 minutes before Sittenfeld’s press conference – but after the endorsements were known – Strickland’s campaign released a list of Democratic officials from Northeast Ohio endorsing his candidacy.
There were a number from the Mahoning Valley, including state Sens. Capri Cafaro and Joe Schiavoni; state Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan and John Boccieri; Mahoning County Commissioners David Ditzler, Carol Rimedio-Righetti and Anthony Traficanti; county Clerk of Courts Anthony Vivo; Treasurer Dan Yemma; Prosecutor Paul J. Gains; and Warren Mayor Doug Franklin.
Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman David Betras, who had previously endorsed Strickland, also was on the list.
In a statement, Strickland never mentioned Sittenfeld, saying he was “honored to receive the support of so many leaders from across Northeast Ohio who share my commitment to fighting for Ohio’s working people.”
Sittenfeld said: “Ted Strickland is a nice man. But it’s time to turn the page from yesterday and look toward tomorrow.”
When asked about the timing of the endorsements, Dale Butland, Sittenfeld’s spokesman, said: “It was a transparent attempt [by Strickland’s campaign] to blunt the impact of P.G.’s endorsement by the entire leadership team of Summit County.”
The two will face each other in the March 15 Democratic primary. The winner will face U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, the Republican incumbent.