Pictured are Ohio Governor John Kasich (R-OH) and Ohio State Senator Nina Turner(D-24)
By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper and Newspaper Blog Kathy Wray Coleman is a community activist and 21-year investigative journalist who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio- Incumbent Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, swept to an easy gubernatorial victory Tuesday evening, winning a second four-year term over Democratic Cuyahoga County Executive Fitzgerald, and the Republicans went on to win reelection to the entire statewide ticket, including treasurer, auditor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Cuyahoga County, which includes the majority Black major metropolitan city of Cleveland and 58 other municipalities, villages or townships, is the largest of Ohio's 88 counties and is roughly 29 percent Black.
Fours years ago the Republicans initiated a sweep of statewide offices that saw Kasich oust Democrat Ted Strickland in a close election.
Ohio voters gave Kasich, a former congressman, a mandate Tuesday night with 64 percent of the vote to FitzGerald's 33 percent, raising speculation of a possible run for president in 2016, a posture heightened by the blow to the Democrats, also Tuesday night, in losing control of the U.S. Senate.
The Republicans already control the U.S. House of Representatives and controlling both chambers places Democratic President Barack Obama in a more compromising position, political pundits have said.
"Ohio's made a lot of progress in the past four years because we had the courage to come together to solve tough problems,” Kasich said in a press release on Tuesday.
What the future holds for FitzGerald, who lost in his own Cuyahoga County, a Democratic stronghold, remains to be seen, though he is relatively young politically at 46-years-old, and holds a law licence and a background as a former mayor of Lakewood, Ohio and former FBI agent.
Ohio Democratic Party Chairperson Chris Redfern , who lost his statehouse seat, quit Tuesday night after the stunning but relatively expected Republican sweep of statewide offices.
State Sen Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat and the only Black on the statewide Democratic ticket, fell hard to incumbent Secretary of State Jon Husted in her unsucessful bid to unseat him, none of the Democrats who ran statewide even coming close to winning, though Connie Pillich lost to Treasurer Josh Mandel, 53 percent to 43 percent, the least percentage margin of loss among all of them.
Turner gave her concession speech at the Vada Restaurant on Cleveland's east side and thanked her supporters.
Republican Ohio Supreme Court Justices Sharon Kennedy and Judi French, who beat Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge John O'Donnell, both won six-year terms to the high court, lending credence to a complete Republican blowout of statewide offices.(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
