This past weekend, the Ohio Democratic Party held its State Convention, one of the largest gatherings of Democrats in Ohio that occurs every few years. This year’s speakers included some of the most inspiring defenders of the middle class, such as Senator Sherrod Brown, Lilly Ledbetter, who inspired President Obama to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in the fight for women’s equal pay, Pulitzer Prize winner Connie Schultz, and many of our Congressional officeholders, candidates, and Ohio Supreme Court candidates.

Immediately following the State Convention was the Party’s annual State Dinner. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer was this year’s featured speaker, with special guests Senator Sherrod Brown and Justice Yvette McGee Brown. Through these two events, Democratic leaders from around the state were able to conduct Party business and meet thousands of local activists.

Supporters who attended Saturday’s events called it “one of the best State Dinners yet!” We hope you all had as much fun as we did.

In an effort to avoid another disastrous referendum for their party, Ohio Senate Republicans yesterday passed Senate Bill 295, repealing their own House Bill 194, the controversial voter suppression bill aiming to disenfranchise the voting rights of a large portion of Ohioans. Instead of striking down the controversial bill, SB 295 reinstates some of the most egregious attacks on voting rights, including eliminating the three-day early voting window right before Election Day, the busiest voting time of the year.

An editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal  summarized the attack well:

As it is, after a careful examination, State Rep. Kathleen Clyde made a disturbing discovery. The Kent Democrat found that the Senate’s “repeal” bill, Senate Bill 295, really amounts to a sneak attack. Instead of simply striking down House Bill 194, the repeal bill seeks to reinstate one of the most objectionable features — imposing a deadline on in-person absentee voting starting the Friday before Election Day, cutting off a three-day window when interest reaches its peak.

State Representative Kathleen Clyde spoke out against the bill, explaining further:

SB 295 is not a simple repeal bill like the Republicans are claiming.  Instead, it is a sneak attack on the voting rights of Ohioans.  It includes one of the most harmful provisions of HB 194 – the elimination of the three busiest days of early voting.  In our two largest counties alone, nearly 20 percent of early voters voted on those final 3 days in 2008. The elimination of these days will cause voter confusion, long lines at the polls and put further strain on our elections system”, said Rep. Clyde. “Today’s repeal of HB 194 is not the end of the road – in fact it’s likely the beginning of another long fight for voting rights and the rights of hundreds of thousands of Ohioans.

Another embarrassing defeat at the polls wasn’t the only motivation for Ohio Republicans to pull this sneak attack during yesterday’s voting session, ignoring the thousands of Ohioans who fought for the chance to repeal HB 194 on the 2012 ballot. Statehouse Republicans are primed to replace HB 194 with more confusing legislation, burying the same voter suppression tactics by hiding them in hundreds of pages of laws.

I urge my colleagues in the House to stand with me and remove the provisions in SB 295 that eliminate early voting the weekend prior to Election Day”, said State Representative Michael Stinziano. That is the only way to preserve the stated intent of SB 295 and to return Ohio’s election law to its status prior to HB 194.

Of course, Plunderbund nails down on why these changes to restrict voting access are so important:

If HB 295 is approved, we will have been robbed of our referendum vote on HB 194 in November and a crucial early voting window will be gone. Why is accessibility of voting so important? The answer is simple. When fewer people vote, Republicans win.

The Republican attack on voting rights will next head to the Ohio House when it reconvenes after its two week break. You can read more coverage on the Republican’s voter suppression attacks here.

Recently, the Ohio Democratic Party began circulating an online petition to tell Rush Limbaugh’s advertisers that we are tired of him spewing hateful and misogynistic comments on air.  As of today, we are proud to announce that more than 13,000 people have signed our petition.  You can join them by adding your name here, and help put a stop to the Republican War on Women.

With all of the attention placed on the Ohio Republican primary, and the millions of dollars that were spent in this campaign, a measly 5 percent more Republicans turned out than in 2008’s barely contested primary (before which it was clear that John McCain would be the Republican nominee). Twice as many Democrats voted in the 2008 primary than Republicans who voted in this week’s primary. The Republican presidential candidates’ failure to turn out voters in their own party speaks to the weakness of the Republican infrastructure in this state and the lack of enthusiasm for the GOP candidates.

In case you missed it, our out-of-touch Governor John Kasich held his second annual State of the State address this week in Steubenville.

In what should come as no surprise – it was a total flop. Don’t just take our word for it – ask the reporters who covered it.

The Associated Press called it a “rambling [and] unfocused,” adding, “His speech also included a few comments that puzzled listeners, such as when he said that he ‘never looked back’ when he left politics, presumably referring to his time in Congress. He was elected as a Republican governor in 2010. He also referred to people in California as ‘wackadoodles.’ And he had no sooner told the emotional stories of his first two courage award winners than he added, ‘We don’t want to see those on eBay, ladies.’

The Huffington Post described the “rambling 100-minute speech” as “a series of bizarre — and potentially offensive — statements and actions.”

And Business Insider opined, “IT’S OFFICIAL: Ohio’s State Of The State Was The Craziest Political Speech Of The Year.”

Their summary of his “address”:

• A reference to his “hot wife”
• Imitating someone with Parkinson’s disease
• Warning two recipients of the the Governor’s Courage Awards not to sell their medals on eBay.
• Calling Californians “a bunch of wackadoodles.”
• Referring to ethnic communities as “the ethnics,” and to God as a “lobbyist” for the “mentally ill, the disabled, the poor.”
• Giving a “shout-out” to virtually every person in the room — and multiple shout-outs to Ohio State President Gordon Gee
• Telling the people of Ohio that he wanted to “touch them.”
• Mentioning Galileo, Soviet gulags, John Adams and “Navy SEAL” — all in one breath.
• Crying

See for yourself here.

The Ohio Democratic Party is proud to celebrate Black History Month. We cannot talk about the history of America without recognizing the fundamental role African Americans have played in shaping our nation. The same holds true for our Party. The African American community plays a central role in the Ohio Democratic Party, and we celebrate the many African American leaders who have made such significant contributions in our history as Democrats. We wanted to tell you a little more about some of those leaders:

Yvette McGee Brown- Justice Yvette McGee Brown is the first African American woman to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. Graduating from Ohio University in 1982, she earned her law degree from Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law in 1985. Elected to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in 1992, she retired ten years later in order to head up the newly-created Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In 2010, she became a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio with Ted Strickland. Following the 2010 election, Governor Strickland appointed Yvette McGee Brown to the Ohio Supreme Court, where she continues to serve the people of Ohio.

Marcia Fudge- Congresswoman Fudge was the first African American woman to serve as mayor of Warrensville Heights, OH. Born in Cleveland, she graduated from Ohio State University and earned a law degree from Cleveland State University. She served as Director of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office before becoming an aide to Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones. In a special election, she succeeded Congresswoman Tubbs Jones upon her passing, and continues to serve Ohio’s 11^th District.

Eric Kearney- Senator Kearney is the current Minority Leader in the Ohio Senate. Born in Cincinnati, he graduated from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. In addition to practicing law, he also founded Sesh Communications, a publishing company in charge of The Cincinnati Herald, The North Kentucky Herald, and The Dayton Defender. Appointed to the Senate in 2005, his constituents elected him in 2010.

Joyce Beatty- Joyce Beatty was the first Democratic female leader of the Ohio House of Representatives in history. Earning her B.A. from Central State University and her M.S. from Wright State University, she started working as the Executive Director of Montgomery County’s Human Services levy. Later, she went on to open a management training company and a small business in Columbus. She was chosen to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000, and was elected five subsequent times. Leaving the Ohio House, she went to work for The Ohio State University as Senior Vice President of Outreach and Engagement.

Sandra Williams- Sandra Williams has served the people of Ohio’s 11^th House District since 2007. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Cleveland State University and her master’s degree in Criminal Justice administration from Tiffin University. She worked in various criminal justice capacities before entering politics in 1999, serving as an aide at the Statehouse. In 2006, she was elected as a representative, and has served as the President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus since 2009.

Nina Turner- Selected by the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus, Nina Turner has served the people of Ohio’s 25^th Senate District since 2008. After earning an associate’s degree from Cuyahoga Community College and both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Cleveland State University, she began her political career as a legislative aide. She subsequently served on the Cleveland City Council, being the first woman ever elected to serve Ward 1. In addition to serving in the Ohio Senate, Nina Turner is also a professor of History at Cuyahoga Community College, and serves as the Treasurer of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Edna Brown- Edna Brown serves the people of Ohio’s 11^th Senate District and as Senate Minority Whip. She attended the University of Toledo and Mary Manse College, and served for 32 years as an employee of the city of Toledo. She was then elected to the Toledo City Council, and served there for six years. In 2002, she was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, and began serving her term in the Ohio Senate in 2011. She also serves as the First Vice President for the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Dale Mallory- Dale Mallory serves as the representative of Ohio’s 32^nd House District. Growing up in Cincinnati, he began working as a clerk at General Electric Aircraft Engines. After moving to component repair, he was promoted to Manufacturing Facilitator. In 2006, he won election to the Ohio House of Representatives, and again in 2008 and 2010. He serves as the Second Vice President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Roland Windburn- Roland Windburn serves the people of Ohio’s 40th House District. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Central State University and worked as a psychotherapist. Appointed to be a Harrison Township Trustee in 2001, he was elected to that position in 2002 and again in 2006. He was elected to the Ohio House in 2008 and again in 2010. He also serves as the Third Vice President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Barbara Boyd- Barbara Boyd serves the people of Ohio’s 9^th House District. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from St. Paul’s College in 1965. After volunteering in Cleveland Heights, she became the first African American elected to Cleveland Heights City Council in 1983. First elected to the Ohio House in 1992, she served until term limits forced her to leave office in 2000. In 2006, she was returned to the Ohio House by the people of the 9^th District. She is currently the Secretary of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Alicia Reece- Alicia Reece represents the people of Ohio’s 33^rd House District. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Grambling State University. After serving on the Cincinnati City Council for eight years, she became Vice Mayor of Cincinnati from 2002-2006. She currently serves as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Clayton Luckie- Clayton Luckie serves the people of Ohio’s 39^th House District. He earned an associate’s degree from Sinclair Community College and a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University. From 1996 to 2006, he served on the Dayton Public School Board. In addition to serving his fourth term in the Ohio House, he serves as the Marketing and Sales Director of JEC Paper and Related Products.

Michael Ashford- Michael Ashford is serving his first term as the representative of Ohio’s 48^th House District. Born in Omaha, NE, he graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and earned a master’s degree from Spring Arbor University. He moved to Toledo in 1988 to work for the YMCA/JCC and is currently Vice President of Urban Affairs.

Tracy Maxwell Heard- Tracy Maxwell Heard serves the people of Ohio’s 26^th House District, and is the Minority Whip for the House Democratic Caucus. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she earned the position of news anchor with an ABC affiliate in six months. She began her political career in 1996, and in 1998 founded Millennium Solutions, Inc. as a political consultant. She is currently serving her third term in the Ohio House.

Charleta Tavares- Charleta Tavares serves the people of Ohio’s 15^th Senate District. She is the first African American woman to serve in the legislature from Franklin County and the first in a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly. Previously, she served on the Columbus City Council from 1999-2010.

Shirley Smith- Shirley Smith represents the people of Ohio’s 21^st Senate District. She began her career in sales and marketing, and worked as a radio talk-show host. She served the people of the 10^th District for eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives before being elected to the Ohio Senate in 2006.

W. Carlton Weddington- W. Carlton Weddington serves the people of Ohio’s 27^th House District. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hampton University. Previously, he held positions on the Columbus School Board, the Ohio School Boards Association, the Council of Urban Boards of Education and Auditor of State’s Regional Advisory Council. He also worked as a Liaison Officer for the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services. He is serving his second term.

Vernon Sykes- Vernon Sykes serves the people of Ohio’s 44^th House District. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University, a master’s degree from Wright State University, a master’s of public administration from Harvard University, and a doctorate from the University of Akron. He served on the Akron City Council before being appointed to the Ohio House in 1983. After leaving the House in 2000 due to term limits, he returned to serve the people of the 44^th District in 2006.

Michael Coleman- Mayor Coleman is the first African American mayor of Columbus. Growing up in Toledo, he graduated from the University of Cincinnati and earned a law degree from the University of Dayton. He then practiced law for 15 years. After serving on the Columbus City Council from 1992-1999, he won election as mayor in 1999 and was re-elected unopposed in 2003. Winning two subsequent elections in 2007 and 2011, Mayor Coleman continues to work for the people of Ohio’s capital.

Frank Jackson- Mayor Jackson is the 56^th Mayor of Cleveland. He still lives on the same street on which he grew up in Cleveland. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, and when he returned home he earned his B.A., M.A., and law degree from Cleveland State University. After serving as an Assistant City Prosecutor, he won election to the Cleveland City Council in 1989, where he remained until 2005. He has served the people of Cleveland as mayor since 2006.

Mark Mallory- Mayor Mallory was the first directly-elected African American mayor of Cincinnati. Beginning his public service as a book-shelver, he worked for 14 years in a number of different occupations. In 1994, he joined the Ohio House of Representatives, and after four years, he entered the Ohio Senate, eventually becoming Assistant Minority Leader. He continued to serve in the Ohio Senate until he was elected Mayor of Cincinnati in 2005 and re-elected in 2009.

Jay Williams- Jay Williams currently serves as the executive director of the federal Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, a position known as the Obama administration’s “Auto Czar.” Prior to serving in the Obama administration, Williams was the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio. His election in 2005 marked Youngstown’s first election of an African American mayor. After earning a degree in finance at Youngstown State University, he later served as an examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He also served as Director of Youngstown’s Community Development Agency prior to becoming mayor.

Rhine McLin- Mayor McLin was the first African American woman elected as mayor of Dayton. A native of Dayton, she graduated from Parsons College in Iowa and earned her M.A. in Education from Xavier University, after which she taught at Central State University. Following the passing of her father, State Representative C.J. McLin, she was appointed to fill the remainder of his term. After winning two subsequent terms in the Ohio House, she won two terms in the Ohio Senate, before running for the office of mayor in Dayton. She served the people of Dayton for two terms, until 2009. Rhine serves as Vice Chairwoman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

Marsha Bayless- Marsha Bayless spent 35 years in education, serving the children of Xenia Community Schools, including 23 as a principal in Xenia. She won election in 2009 to become Mayor of Xenia.

Fletcher Berger- Fletcher Berger has served as mayor of Bedford Heights since 2007. He was re-elected to serve another four-year term in 2011.

Bradley D. Sellers- Bradley Sellers is the 7^th Mayor of Warrensville Heights. A native of Warrensville Heights, Mayor Sellers attended The Ohio State University before moving on to play 15 years in the National Basketball Association. Prior to serving as mayor, he was the Director of Economic Development for Warrensville Heights.

Charles E. Smith- Charles E. Smith is the Mayor of Woodmere Village. A graduate of Central Arizona College and the University of Phoenix, Mayor Smith played for 16 years in Major League Baseball.

David Smith- David Smith is the Mayor of North Randall, Ohio.

Louis Stokes- Congressman Stokes was the first African American representative from the state of Ohio, and served for 15 straight terms. Born in Cleveland, he served in the United States Army from 1943-1946. Following his time in uniform, Congressman Stokes graduated from Western Reserve University and earned a law degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School. After working as a lecturer and writer, he was elected to Congress 15 straight times, and retired in 1998.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones (1949-2008)- Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was the first African American woman to be elected as a representative from the state of Ohio. Born in Cleveland, she graduated from Case Western Reserve University and earned a law degree. She served as both a prosecutor and judge in Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland before she was elected to the United States House of Representatives. She passed away in 2008, after a lifetime of public service.

C.J. McLin (1921-1988)- Representative McLin served 22 years in the Ohio House of Representatives and was highly respected by both his fellow Democrats as well as Republicans. Born in East St. Louis, Ill., McLin moved to Ohio as a child. He served in the United States Army during World War II, and protested against racial discrimination with the armed forces. He returned home following his time in the military and worked at his father’s funeral home, and was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966. He continued his fight against racial discrimination throughout his electoral career until his passing in 1988.

Carl Stokes (1927-1996)- Mayor Stokes was the first African American mayor of a major American city: Cleveland, OH. Born in Cleveland, he served in the United States Army from 1945-1947. He graduated from Western Reserve University in 1952, and earned a law degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School in 1956. Six years later, he made history as the first African American elected to the Ohio Legislature from Cuyahoga County. Following his time at the Statehouse, he was elected Mayor of Cleveland, a position he held for two terms. After various other jobs as an anchorman in New York City and a municipal judge in Cleveland, President Bill Clinton appointed Carl Stokes as Ambassador to the Republic of the Seychelles. He passed away in 1996 after a long and distinguished career.

The Daily Beast highlighted Romney’s vulnerabilities as evidenced in last night’s Republican primaries.

Some of the findings include:

Missouri:  Romney received around 64,000 out of nearly 233,00 votes last night; he received around 172,000 out of 589,000 in 2008.

Minnesota:  Romney received around 8,000 out of nearly 47,000 votes last night; he received 26,000 out of 63,000 in 2008.

Colorado:  Romney received  23,000 out of 65,000 votes last night; he received 42,000 out of 70,000 in 2008.

The Ohio primary is March 6.  Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich will give Mitt Romney a run for his money.

Read the full article here.

The Hamilton County Democratic Party sent out the following press release yesterday:

“Governor Kasich gave his second State of the State address today from the Wells Academy, an elementary School in Steubenville OH.  Possibly he hoped by doing so he could make peace with teachers following his disastrous backing of Senate Bill 5 last winter.

“In a long rambling speech (the longest on record) the Governor was very short on specifics regarding the coming year and eager to gloss over the tumult of the past year that led last September to his becoming the least popular Governor in the nation.  It’s quite an accomplishment after less than one year in office.  But a new poll out just this afternoon suggests he has his work cut out for him.

“The poll released by Public Policy Polling (see link below) finds Governor’s Kasich’s approval rating still at a mere 33%, his disapproval at 53%.  It also finds that if they had it to do over, Ohio voters would re-elect Governor Strickland by a margin 20 percentage points, a landslide by any calculation.

“Governor Kasich touted the return of thousands of auto manufacturing jobs to Ohio, failing to mention of course that both he and Mitt Romney were not in favor of saving the auto industry not so very long ago.  Now he cannot bring himself to acknowledge it was the tough decision made by President Obama in 2009 that saved the American automobile industry.

“While the Ohio employment picture is improving along with that of the rest of the nation, it cannot be ignored that public employees in Ohio have taken the brunt of the decisions made in Columbus.  City and township governments across the State are still struggling to cope with the consequences of cuts to the Local Government fund and the elimination of the estate tax.  Public employees are continuing to lose their jobs with no end in sight while local government is forced to contemplate tax increases to compensate.  These are the consequences for which Kasich should take responsibility.

“Ironically, Governor Kasich pointed to infrastructure and education as two major elements in attracting new jobs to Ohio.  This while he advocates cuts to infrastructure and education spending, offers proposals to dismantle public education in the near future, and prepares to auction off the Ohio Turnpike.   In Hamilton County alone, major infrastructure projects like the I-75 widening completion have been place on hold, possibly for decades.  Fortunately Ohio voters can see through the spin, as today’s poll illustrates.”

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/ohio-odds-and-ends.html

2010 was a tough year for Democrats, but during 2011 we stood together and fought back against John Kasich's assault on the middle class.

We rallied against Senate Bill 5, at the Statehouse in the bitter cold, and collected more than a million signatures and spread the word to friends and neighbors.

On November 8, thanks to your incredible efforts, we made history and sent a clear message to Gov. Kasich that we won't stand for attacks on our middle class.

The victory would not have been possible without the energy, dedication and commitment of our volunteers. No amount of corporate, special interest money could possibly have overcome the grassroots organization that you helped build.

It was an amazing night for Democrats and an even bigger victory for families across the state.

But we didn’t stop there. We set our sights on the Republicans’ voter suppression law – which would have disenfranchised the most vulnerable Ohioans – and collected half a million signatures to put it on next year’s ballot. This November we’ll stop it for good.

And just last month, thanks to the pressure you put on Ohio Republicans to create a better, fairer congressional map, we reached a compromise on a new map that saved taxpayers at least $15 million.

The new map is not anything to be thrilled about. But it does make some districts a little more competitive, it does increase minority influence and it does hold together many communities that were sliced apart under the Republicans’ original plan. Were it not for your efforts, none of these changes would have been possible.

So in ringing in the New Year, I wish to offer you my sincerest thanks for your help in this effort and for all that you have done in the past year. Whether it was to save worker rights, to protect voting rights or to fight gerrymandering, supporters like you have done whatever we have asked and worked tirelessly to achieve one victory after another.

But while we celebrate our victories in 2011, you and I know that our work isn’t over. We need to carry forward the momentum from this past year to make sure we elect leaders up and down the ticket who will stand up for Ohio’s middle class.

Based on everything we’ve achieved together already, I know we can keep winning this fight. Thank you again for your support.

Chris Redfern

Chairman, Ohio Democratic Party