Cordray
likely out of 2014 Governor’s race as focus intensifies on and for FitzGerald,
Sutton
Another piece of the puzzle to who will be the
Democratic Party nominee to take on Gov. Kasich in next year’s gubernatorial
race will seemingly be locked into place with President Obama’s renomination
today of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The
president had made Cordray a recess appointment last year after Senate
Republicans blocked his initial nomination in 2011.
Since GOP opposition to Cordray remains, nominating
him again would serve little purpose if Cordray was going to leave the position
early and return to Ohio for a statewide race. His recess appointment is good
through December 2013.
With the announcement earlier last month by former
Gov. Strickland that he would not seek a rematch of his 2010 campaign against
Kasich, speculation will now center on Cuyahoga County executive Ed FitzGerald
and former US Congresswoman Betty Sutton. FitzGerald must decide whether to
forsake his virtually certain reelection as county executive next year or to
stay put for another four years.
Sutton may have an easier decision since she lost
her re-election bid to US Rep. Jim Renacci in the aftermath of Congressional
redistricting in 2011 when Ohio lost two seats in Congress when the 2010 Census
confirmed the state’s slow rate of population growth.
Youngstown area Congressman Tim Ryan has also been
mentioned as a potential candidate, but insiders seem to think it increasingly
unlikely he will run.
This likely means the ball is in Sutton’s court: if
she wants it, FitzGerald would probably not challenge her, to the dismay of
several county politicians who would love to succeed him.
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