STEVE KORNACKI: “But that governor’s race I think when you look ahead to the fall, with DeWine as the nominee I think you might look at that and say that’s a ten point Trump state, that might be a little advantage going into the Republicans there.”
With Mike DeWine as Ohio’s GOP gubernatorial nominee, Republicans are heading into the general election with clear momentum as Washington D.C. Bureaucrat Richard Cordray’s campaign continues to struggle. Ohio and national political observers have taken note of DeWine’s advantage in the race, while stating that Cordray faces an “uphill battle” to win in November. As Cordray remains plagued by his lack of energy, passion, or any message for Ohio voters, DeWine enters the general election as the only candidate ready to lead Ohio forward.
The Columbus Dispatch also took note of DeWine’s advantage, claiming that Cordray faces an “uphill battle” against his opponent:
The Statehouse News Bureau noted the measurable lack of enthusiasm among Democrat voters in the primary with far more Republican votes cast on Tuesday night, even with talk of a “blue tide” for Cordray beforehand:
“In the days preceding the election, there was a lot of talk about a blue tide and Democratic voter enthusiasm. But if that’s a factor, it didn’t show up in the voter turnout for this election where less than a fifth of registered voters cast ballots – and 20 percent more Republican ballots were cast than Democratic ones.”
The New York Timesreported that Cordray has “struggled” to inspire enthusiasm from his party despite the backing of far-left leaders like Elizabeth Warren:
“Despite collecting endorsements from powerful labor unions and campaigning alongside Senator Warren — a hero to liberals — Mr. Cordray struggled at times to inspire enthusiasm from rank-and-file Democratic voters.”
Meanwhile, Ohio political scientists have continued to sour on Cordray’s low-energy campaign style, with Mack Mariani of Xavier University tellingThe Wall Street Journal that “charisma is not a word” they would associate with him:
“Mr. Cordray, meanwhile, has been criticized for a subdued personality on the campaign trail. ‘Charisma is not a word that is going to come out after listening to his speeches,’ said Mack Mariani, a professor of political science at Xavier University in Cincinnati.”
