Democrats unable to rouse their troops, particularly in urban counties; only 48% of Ohio's registered voters go to polls
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Pre-election predictions by Democratic officials that their expensive get-out-the-vote machine would overcome an "enthusiasm gap" were rendered empty boasts by a profound lack of interest among their voters in the midterm elections, particularly in urban counties where the party needed a big turnout.Less than 48 percent of registered voters cast ballots, the worst participation in a statewide election since 2002. And the 10 counties - including Franklin County - that had the largest decline in total votes Tuesday from the 2006 election account for 57 percent of Ohio's registered Democrats.
The sparse turnout doomed Gov. Ted Strickland's chances of re-election against Republican John Kasich, the first winning gubernatorial candidate since 1978 to fail to get at least 50 percent of the vote.
"Where was the legendary $20 million ground game for the Ohio Democratic Party?" Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine said. "The truth of the matter is, if people don't want to vote, then they're not going to vote, and no amount of money can change that."
DeWine's Democratic counterpart, Chris Redfern, said Strickland winning 26 of 88 counties and losing by just 2 points "during the worst recession since the Great Depression" is a credit to the party's get-out-the-vote efforts.
"Had this been any other election, we would have rolled, but this was a national tide that swept Democrats out of office," Redfern said. "I don't know what else we could have done."
John C. Green, an Ohio politics expert at the University of Akron, agreed.
"I don't think it was lack of effort on the part of the Democratic campaign, but the core constituencies they were trying to mobilize may have been especially difficult to get out to vote this year," he said.
Green also concurred with Redfern and DeWine that an angry electorate depressed by the job-sapping recession and a feeling that politicians are not doing enough about it made re-election tough for incumbents.
DeWine said Kasich "was positioned to take advantage of what was an anti-Obama, anti-incumbent environment," but he cautioned that voters put Republicans on a short leash and expect them to deliver on pledges to restrain taxes and spending.
"I'm smart enough to realize, and I'm drilling into our winners, that they did not win because people came running back to our party because they're in love with it," DeWine said. "They were partly frustrated and disgusted with what's going on in Washington and Columbus, so they're looking for an alternative."
Aaron Pickrell, Strickland's campaign manager, said "disillusionment with the economy and the state of everything" led to the GOP sweep of the five statewide executive offices, four of which are held by Democrats. "At the end of the day, a lot of voters just decided to stay home."
Strickland won Cuyahoga County by fewer than 95,000 votes, failing to achieve the tried-and-true 100,000-vote margin that a Democrat must achieve in Ohio's largest county to win statewide.
Although Strickland won Franklin County by almost 8 points, Kasich offset that margin by winning 27 percent more votes than Strickland in the six suburban counties abutting Franklin.
Montgomery County flipped from supporting Strickland in 2006 to voting against him by nearly 22,000 votes yesterday, which could have been in part because of anger about NCR moving its corporate headquarters out of Dayton and the devastating job losses at a nearby DHL operation, said Dennis Lieberman, former chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Party.
Kasich, meanwhile, was eager to move past the election yesterday and begin laying a foundation to govern. After a meeting with his senior team at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, he named three key members of his incoming administration: Beth Hansen, his campaign manager, as chief of staff; Tim Keen, budget director under former Gov. Bob Taft, as his budget director; and longtime aide Wayne Struble as his policy director.
Kasich told reporters his team also plans to meet today with Strickland's chief of staff and budget director to discuss the next two-year budget, which Kasich must introduce by March 15. It could have a shortfall of $8billion.
The governor-elect has pledged to balance the budget without raising taxes, while also reinstating the last piece of an income-tax cut that was frozen last year to fill an $851 million hole in the current budget. But he repeatedly has said he can't talk specifics about the budget until he gets updated revenue and spending numbers.
"We will be ready, without any question, to put together a comprehensive budget within the deadline," Kasich said.
Kasich also might get to appoint the new Ohio Casino Control Commission. Strickland made his seven picks in early October, but they must be confirmed by the Ohio Senate. President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland, said he is prepared to reject them.
"I'm in favor of John Kasich getting to appoint his people," Harris said. "But we've not made any decision. If that's what he wants to do, I would be very inclined to support him."
Asked whether Kasich wants to make his own appointments to the commission, spokesman Rob Nichols said it's premature to say.
Kasich, a former Fox News commentator, gave a live interview to Fox early yesterday morning before delivering his victory speech to waiting supporters. He joked yesterday that his communications strategy will include using Fox, whose owner gave more than $1 million to elect him.
"I probably will do a couple of interviews maybe on this place, what's it called, Fox News?"
Dispatch reporter Jim Siegel contributed to this story.
jhallett@dispatch.com
mniquette@dispatch.com
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