If timing is a talent, then Chris Redfern probably thinks he's a master performer. Redfern took over the leadership of the Ohio Democratic Party just a little over a year and a half ago, just as Republican scandals in the state were coming to a head. Since then, Ohio Democrats have gained a momentum they haven't enjoyed in two decades. On the eve of the state Democratic Convention held in Parma this past weekend, Redfern said the mood of his party is buoyant.
Chris Redfern: We are as focused as we ever have been. Over the course of the last 16 years with one-party rule, Democrats have often been viewed as a party of disparate ideas and disorganization with little in the way of resources. Those days have ended.
If political polls are anything to go by, Redfern has cause for optimism. Throughout the campaign, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland has been leading Republican Ken Blackwell by a margin as high as 25 points, although the latest poll shows that gap has narrowed. Strickland is also ahead in the race for campaign cash, raising $11.2 million in the last 16 months against Blackwell's $10 million.
Chris Redfern: If you were to add up all the candidates running statewide both the Senate and the House caucuses as well as our gubernatorial and state senate candidates, you would see that the Democrats have raised more money than the Republicans collectively. That's the first time that's happened since 1986.
But what really has Democrats hopeful this year is the series of financial and political scandals that have rocked the Republican Party and led to criminal convictions of key Ohio GOP leaders from Governor Bob Taft to Congressman Bob Ney to fundraiser Tom Noe. Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chairman Jimmy Dimora says Republican corruption and a stagnating economy have given Democrats their central campaign message.
Jimmy Dimora: The slogan Turn Around Ohio is just that. People know that Ohio's in a hole and the Democratic leadership and the Democratic candidates are talking about taking it and turning it around and trying to get it back on track.
Dimora predicts Democrats have the best chance they've had in two decades to win key statewide offices based on a slate of strong candidates with a platform of raising the minimum wage, creating new jobs and investing in public schools and higher education without raising taxes. And while state party chair Chris Redfern admits the thought of losing the governorship does keep him up at night, he too believes that Ohio Democrats are better-positioned to win than they've been in years. Karen Schaefer, 90.3.