Strickland is out. Obviously he knew Kasich was unstoppable and his own record was incompatible with any chance of victory.
The first rumor out of the gate is Cleveland County Executive Ed FitzGerald is very seriously considering jumping in, and has already hired a number of experienced Ohio political staff.
But there is one huge, glaring problem for Ed FitzGerald.
Money.
Word out of Cleveland is that business leaders from around Ohio, and especially significant leaders in the Cleveland business community are telling Ed FitzGerald that now isn’t his time. They don’t want him to run and won’t commit to sending him the cash an unknown like him needs to overcome the Kasich powerhouse.
Now of course this doesn’t mean ALL businesses won’t contribute, but when it comes to fundraising, it’s incredibly important to have a significant network of MAJOR business leaders supporting you. And it’s very clear from what I’m hearing that they aren’t.
Go ahead, media. Ask them. See what they say.
