Last night we learned John Kasich won the endorsement of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. That endorsement has proven to be particularly significant.
Need to know why?
Ask history.
I looked back at whom the Plain Dealer endorsed for Governor going back 20 years. Since then, their endorsed candidate has won every time.
Additionally, in his column today, Tom Suddes takes a look at the numbers in Cuyahoga County and how Strickland can’t spare a single one:
Beginning in 1958, a Democrat hasn’t become governor without at least a 100,000-vote margin inside Cuyahoga over his GOP opponent.
A Democrat carried Cuyahoga by more than 100,000 votes and became governor in 1958, 1970, 1982, 1986 and 2006 (Strickland, albeit, facing GOP fiasco J. Kenneth Blackwell). Democratic candidates for governor failed to carry Cuyahoga County by at least 100,000 votes and lost statewide in 1962 (incumbent Michael V. DiSalle, seeking re-election), 1966, 1974 (incumbent John J. Gilligan, ditto), 1978 (Richard F. Celeste), 1990 (Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr., albeit, against fellow Clevelander George Voinovich), 1994 (albeit, Democratic fiasco Robert Burch), 1998 (Lee Fisher) and 2002 (Tim Hagan).
Only the shortsighted will consider the Plain Dealer endorsement as anything less than extremely significant in this race. “Endorsed by the Plain Dealer” on everything from television commercials to campaign literature to the paper’s slate card can leave quite an impression on Cuyahoga County voters.
And all this doesn’t even take into consideration the Democratic corruption scandal that has erupted county-wide and shows no signs of slowing down.
That scandal not only discourages Democratic voters, but it turns swing voters and has pulled the Democrats’ traditional GOTV players out of the game.
Combine all these factors and its hard to see what chance Strickland has to win this election.
Don’t be surprised if the Governor starts spending so much time in the Cleveland area that he takes up residence.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to watch if the Strickland team reacts to the Plain Dealer endorsement as childishly as they did the CPA and Ohio Chamber endorsements of Kasich.
