Gubernatorial Race

  • John Kasich and Ted Strickland argue with each other in a meeting with reporters, and evidently the fur really starts to fly:
“You know, I just wish we would explore these things in minute detail because I hear a lot of words from the congressman but I don’t hear them attached to anything that is substantial in terms of really governing the state,” Strickland said early on.
Kasich, who displayed irritation with the governor’s attacks and was dismissive throughout, cut in.
“Let me just say something; the results speak for themselves,” said Kasich, seated next to the governor. “We have lost 397,000 jobs.”During the nearly two-hour meeting, the governor rubbed his fist on his thigh, moved frequently in his chair and even pointed at his opponent. Kasich repeatedly clicked a retractable pen, frequently looked at the ceiling and shifted in his chair.
  • Ted Strickland releases a well-made, positive and utterly disingenuous new ad:
  • Though in a surprising moment of honesty, Strickland also declares the state a disaster area! (Sarcasm aside, this is a good thing — Ohio got hit pretty hard by a recent storm.)

Senatorial Race

  • Lee Fisher tries to bully Rob Portman into supporting the DISCLOSE Act. It doesn’t take.
  • Public Policy Polling releases analysis that shows primaries were a bad thing for the GOP because they elected all these eeeeevil Tea Partiers, as opposed to here in Ohio, where Rob Portman’s running away with things. Bias aside, it’s yet more evidence of Portman’s strength.

House Races

  • Steve Chabot of OH-1 returns to a time-worn old chestnut: attacking his opponent on health care.
  • And Mary Jo Kilroy of OH-15 goes after Steve Stivers for being (barely) associated with the Pledge to America.
  • And the Wall Street Journal runs a story on Kilroy’s struggling volunteer and student-outreach operation, without mentioning the fact that she now has to pay people to organize for her.