Ohio Senate Races: News and Notes

What's going on in those critical Ohio Senate contests?

3rd District: The great blog Blue Bexley reports that a 527 organization based in Michigan "that supports school vouchers and pours millions of Wal-Mart's and Amway's money into campaigns around the country, without actually mentioning who they are, what they support, or where their money comes from" has sent a mailer supporting State Sen. David Goodman (R-New Albany). The organization is called All Children Matter, but the mailer doesn't mention children, instead it's "about how great David Goodman's position is that there's no problem that can't be solved with a tax cut." The element of hypocrisy here is that Goodman has denounced election activities by 527s, maintaining that "individual contributors directly funding campaigns was preferable." Apparently he thinks huge campaign contributions from wealthy individuals or special interests have no effect on politicians. Yeah, right. How out of touch can this guy get?

Here's an independent ad produced by blogger Bonobo of Blue Bexley:

[I have removed the embedded link, but the video is available here.]

5th District: The Dayton Daily News endorsed incumbent State Sen. Tom Roberts (D-Trotwood) over Trotwood mayor Donald McLaurin (R-Trotwood), calling Roberts the "better choice" because he "has not been a partisan bomb-thrower in Columbus' deeply divided atmosphere" and has at times "effectively worked across party lines." The editors note Roberts' "behind-the-scenes work that contributed to the success of major initiatives" to help moderate income people afford better housing. They also note McLaurin's poor record on paying his business and property taxes, which "doesn't disqualify Mr. McLaurin from public office, but it reinforces the fact that Tom Roberts should be returned to the Ohio Senate for a second term." The district includes most of the City of Dayton, all of Trotwood, Jefferson and Harrison townships, an eastern portion of Huber Heights, much of Riverside and all of Miami County and southeastern Darke County.

13th District: The AARP has an excellent web site that details positions of political candidates on key issues for older voters. I notice that Sue Morano (D-Lorain) and Martha Wise (R-Avon) agree on most issues addressed, but Morano supports establishing evidence-based research to compare drug effectiveness, and Wise does not. "As consumers of prescription drugs, the public must have easy, accurate information concerning the safety and effectiveness of all medicine," explained Morano, a registered nurse. Wise thinks that existing information is sufficient. "Major research is completed before drugs are approved for public consumption," said Wise. "The safety and effectiveness is available in discussions with doctors, and in detailed information upon purchase."

23rd District: Newly appointed State Sen. Dale Miller (D-Cleveland) is introducing a bill that would track both the environmental impact and economic damage of global warming on Ohio by constituting a state climate commission. "Scientific evidence is overwhelming that climate change is real, not just random fluctuation, and that its causes are at least partly man-made,” Miller said. “The potential impacts on Ohio in terms of flooding, extreme weather patterns, changes in Lake Erie, and extinction of species are truly profound. We need to take this problem seriously and start working on it in a focused way.” The proposed climate commission would consist of 11 members, including legislators, scientific experts, an environmental representative, an energy industry representative, and representatives of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and Ohio Department of Development. Senator Miller noted that protecting the environment and monitoring the impact of global warming on Ohio is a bipartisan issue. Two states - Alaska and North Carolina - have already passed similar legislation. The press release doesn't say that this is Miller's first bill in the Senate, but that would be my guess.