Last week was the first time we saw polling numbers for the Ohio Attorney General race. The Democrats, at his request, have withheld David Pepper’s polling numbers. When different poll was released and we got a glimpse of them, it was easy to understand why.
Of course we all know about the “Wreck of Edward FitzGerald,” and recently, State Rep Connie Pillich (D – Cincinnati) became the latest Democrat to suffer an abysmal polling performance.
According to a poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies this week, and sent to supporters of incumbent Treasurer Josh Mandel, Pillich trails by double digits, 44% – 33%, overall, and a shocking 67% in name recognition, even being behind in her own stomping grounds. You can view the full memo here.
In the wake of FitzGerald and Pepper, the Democrats badly needed someone to rally support. So badly, FitzGerald began funneling his campaign cash (what little he had) back into the down ticket efforts. But the deficit Pillich is facing, particularly in basic name recognition, is so large, to overcome would require a miracle.
And the stress keeps piling on for Party Chairman Chris Redfern. It’s been a really, really bad summer him. Here’s a guy who thinks so highly of himself, he scoffs at his constituents on Facebook when asked a challenging question. Imagine how frustrating it must be to wake up every single morning, knowing the greatest obliteration of a ticket in state history could happen on your watch.
Here’s the thing. Ohio is the penultimate swing state, and has heavily influenced nearly every Presidential election in the past century. But thanks to the hard work of strong candidates, thousands of individuals, and with a little (ok, a lot) of help from Chris Redfern, every statewide office is Republican, the State Senate is 70% Republican (23-10), and the Ohio House of Representatives is 60% Republican (59-40).
The writing has been on the wall for FitzGerald and Pepper, and now, Pillich seems to have joined them. One can only wonder, in this “Endless Summer,” how much more failure can Redfern and the Democrats take?
