Democrats are looking for a reset button in Ohio

Some of the problems were bad timing: 2010 and 2014 were terrible years for the party nationally. But in 2018 Richard Cordray lost nearly 4 points to GOP Governor Mike DeWine, a former Senator, even when Brown won. Whaley said in 2018 the race had been “nationalized” too much.

“Problems that are occurring in Columbus really need to be brought into focus,” she said.

Liz Walters, the newly installed leader of the state’s Democratic Party, said it was transformative to pursue an open seat rather than face an incumbent. She pointed to the local organization in Wisconsin and Georgia as a role model for the future.

Republicans’ success over the past decade has given them a much deeper bank of potential candidates. Several members of the congressional delegation have their eye on a Senate run; Jane Timken, the GOP state chair, resigned from that role last week in anticipation of a possible campaign. and Josh Mandel, the former treasurer who lost to Brown in 2012, has an offer in mind and still has millions in his campaign account. The lieutenant governor and attorney general has passed away, but Secretary of State Frank LaRose is considering it.

One GOP strategist called it a “bum for the nomination”. But with states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to be defended, Republicans aren’t yet concerned about Ohio becoming a top-tier problem. Corry Bliss, a GOP strategist who led Portman’s race in 2016, called the state’s Democratic Party a “mockery”.

“The Ohio Democratic Party is so bad it should be investigated for spot shaving,” said Bliss. “They cannot and do not know how to win.”

Coleman, who said he would not run for the Senate last week, said he would prefer a black candidate at the top of the ticket. But he said the reach of black voters definitely needs to be more robust.

“It’s a necessity,” said Coleman. “You can’t come in and say, ‘Hey, I’m a Democrat running for national office’ and assume that the black community will provide support. It won’t happen. One has to aggressively promote, reach out and support the problems of black Ohioans. “

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Ryan has represented the stubborn Youngstown area in Congress since his first election in 2002, but his own margins in historically democratic territory have shrunk along with those of the National Democrats, albeit at a slower pace. (Ryan ran about a point and a half ahead of current President Joe Biden in the district last year after beating Hillary Clinton by double digits in 2016.) He said his message would appeal to working-class voters, regardless of race or geography, and that Democratic Party recognizes that it must take control of Congress, starting with the push to put Biden’s robust Covid-19 plan into effect.

“There will be a void after the pandemic, and I think there is an opportunity for us to step into that void and tip the scales back to the working class,” said Ryan He is for the white working class. I never said “white working class”. I never get it out of my mouth. It’s just like I’m a white guy from Youngstown. No, it’s about everyone. “

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