Sen: Brown (D) Endorsed by Sun Papers and Chagrin Valley Times

Endorsements by small papers can be very big indeed. I take the following as an important sign of who has the momentum in this contest.

The Sun Papers (26 suburban papers in the greater Cleveland area) and the Solon/Chagrin Valley/Geauga Times have both endorsed Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) over Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Cedarville). If you'd asked me to guess beforehand, I would have ventured that one or both of them would support the conservative incumbent. (The Sun Papers, after all, issued an absurd endorsement a week ago of the underqualified Greg Hartmann (R-Cincinnati) over Jennifer Brunner (D-Columbus), ignoring the former's mismanagement of consumers' personal information at the County Clerk's office and the latter's experience at the Secretary of State's office before becoming a judge.) Nevertheless, in a sign of just how dramatically the sand is washing away from under DeWine's feet, these suburban papers are firmly in the Brown camp.

The Sun editors write that "DeWine’s conservative views on outsourcing and the war in the Middle East may have won voters in the past, but we don’t think he represents the majority of residents today in a state where jobs are evaporating along with optimism for the future." As to jobs and the economy, "Brown rightly notes that Ohio ranks about where Mississippi did 20 years ago." Moreover, "DeWine hasn’t been a voice for the people in Ohio" because "he rarely questions the Administration’s policies on any issue, including Supreme Court appointments, the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act and tax deals for big corporations." On the other hand, "voters can count on Brown to be feisty and an independent voice for his constituents. ... We need someone fresh with Brown’s insight and forthrightness who understands the needs of northeast Ohio."

The Times editors open by declaring that "our country is at a crossroads," with the current leadership having brought us "to a much more dangerous world, worsened poverty and stagnated the middle class, irresponsibly ballooned the national debt, soared trade deficits and negligently ignored the looming environmental crisis of global warming." Voters can "send a message in this midterm election" about the mishandling of Iraq, Osama bin Laden, Iran and North Korea, and "back-room deals with multinational energy corporations, the pharmaceutical industry, off-shore tax evaders and job exporters." To these problems, "Mr. DeWine’s lame response is even more tax cuts that primarily benefit the richest 1 percent while digging a deeper hole of national debt – now exceeding $28,000 for each and every American." Voters "have a better solution" with Sherrod Brown, who has "put American jobs and Ohio jobs first in opposing so-called 'fair-trade' deals that sent them overseas," "supports tax reductions for the middle class but not excessive cuts for the wealthy few," and "opposed the invasion of Iraq before it began." America "needs new direction" and electing Brown "will be a good start."