Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Strickland Set to Endorse Cordray for Attorney General
Governor Ted Strickland plans to endorse Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray to be the Democratic Party’s candidate for Attorney General. NBC4 has confirmed that Strickland plans to make the public endorsement at a news conference scheduled for Wednesday morning outside the Statehouse. The expected endorsement comes as several high-profile Republicans say they are not interested in running in the November election.
Former Attorney General Betty Montgomery said ‘No’ in May. This week former Senator Mike Dewine said he would rather focus on running John McCain’s Ohio campaign. Congresswoman Deborah Pryce followed by saying her candidacy is unlikely. And Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien told NBC4 he plans to run for re-election in the Fall instead.
The only Republican office holder who’s publicly declared his intent to seek the party’s nomination is Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost. But Republican insiders say with the biggest names dropping out, the pressure on Betty Montgomery to reconsider will only increase. With a short campaign window, both parties would rather have a candidate with built-in name recognition.
On the Democratic side, current Attorney General Nancy Hardin Rogers - appointed by Governor Ted Strickland in the wake of Marc Dann’s resignation - has said she won’t campaign for the job. Cordray is seen as the strongest Democratic nominee. Today, his office continued to stay silent on the matter, saying only that it would be inappropriate to comment right now. Cordray ran for Attorney General in 1998 and lost to Betty Montgomery in the general election. He would be the highest profile candidate from either party to announce their intention to seek the Attorney General job in 2008.
Both Democrats and Republicans are slated to select their respective nominees on Saturday, June 21st.
