Extreme politics isn’t being practiced just on Capitol Hill right now. In Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio Democratic Party has been placed in what at least some Ohio Democrats feel is an untenable, undesirable and improper although absolutely legal and rightful (in that a candidate can do this) position: they’ve received a request from Ohio Lt. Governor and U.S. Senate primary candidate Lee Fisher to make a pre-primary endorsement of him over Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate primary candidate Jennifer Brunner. The winner of the primary will face Republican Rob Portman.
This seat is being vacated by Republican George Voinovich. The other Ohio seat is held by Sherrod Brown. The same old same old for more than a year now has been that these two candidates would both serve Ohio well. However, undecideds, as between the two, continue to come in in the upper 40s, as they have for nearly a year. And neither candidate has shown that they’re pulling strongly ahead (or horrifically behind) Portman. Knowing both of these candidates on a somewhat personal level, I can completely understand why.
I’ve written a post urging the ODP to stay neutral and I’ve also sent a letter to each of the members of the ODP’s executive committee asking them to, as a body, not endorse. What do you like to see state parties do in these cases? The question has also come up as to whether newspapers should endorse in this one.