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Voter Discontent Boosts Blackwell: Petro Seen More As Establishment Candidate, GOP Strategist Says

Posted on: Thursday, 4 May 2006, 09:03 CDT

By Lisa A. Abraham, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

May 4--Stephen Neumeyer was drawn to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's candidacy because he agreed with Blackwell's positions on marriage and abortion.

But the Cuyahoga Falls resident said the reason he voted for Blackwell on Tuesday went beyond moral issues.

"The biggest thing, he has been constantly fighting the state Republican Party with increases in spending and the increases in taxes that they have put forth in the last 10 years or so," Neumeyer said.

Neumeyer, 28, who is married with two small children, believes Republicans -- state and national -- have stopped acting like Republicans, a label that he believes should be synonymous with conservative.

"I hate to say it, being a Republican, but I wouldn't be surprised if they lost the majority of the Statehouse as well as the federal Congress," he said.

"I see Blackwell as more of a Reagan Republican than any other person who has been in Ohio recently, including Sen. (George) Voinovich when he was governor."

Neumeyer's views, according to Republican strategist Mark Weaver, cut to the core of Blackwell's victory Tuesday over Attorney General Jim Petro for the Republican nomination for governor.

"This is a year of anger, a year of frustration on behalf of voters, and they, for the most part, view Ken Blackwell as the candidate most likely to bring change," said Weaver, who was not aligned with either Petro's or Blackwell's campaigns.

"Some races are decided on filing day, and this is one of them," Weaver said. "Jim Petro is a good person, but he has been successful because of his status as an establishment candidate. Blackwell has been somewhat unsuccessful because of his status as an outsider candidate. Because of the strong anti-status quo feeling in Ohio, being the outsider candidate became the big plus."

Weaver contends Petro did not run a good campaign, but that Tuesday's outcome might not have been different if he had. "I don't think there's anything he could have done. He looks like the status quo. He walks like the status quo, talks like the status quo, and Ken Blackwell doesn't," he said.

Petro's campaign manager, Bob Paduchik, declined to comment for this article.

Blackwell's early start

Petro, in his concession speech Tuesday night, also conceded that he was out-campaigned by Blackwell by at least two years. He noted how Blackwell's role as secretary of state in 2004 propelled him into the state and national spotlight as he presided over the presidential election in the most hotly contested state.

Blackwell had two years of building name recognition before he even began campaigning. Some political observers would argue it has been longer than that. Blackwell's quest for governor has been germinating since 1998, when Republican Party officials persuaded the then-state treasurer to step aside for the gubernatorial candidacy of Bob Taft, who was secretary of state.

Weaver noted how in the years since, Blackwell has built shadow parties by tapping into coalitions -- in particular evangelical Christians -- to spread his message. So while Petro relied on traditional methods of building support -- using the county party endorsement system -- Blackwell didn't need them.

Blackwell's spokesman, Carlo LoParo, contends that the key to Blackwell's success has been his consistent message of controlling government spending so he can cut taxes and create jobs. That resonated with primary voters, LoParo said.

"In terms of the plan or the strategy, the campaign was simply a matter of taking Ken Blackwell's public positions and long-held personal beliefs and bringing that message to the voters," LoParo said. "Voters like elected officials with a deep conviction to their faith. But what carries the day is their economic positions."

Communicator

Bob Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said that Blackwell out-campaigned Petro in the sense that he was better able to articulate his views.

Petro talked about reorganizing state government; Blackwell talked about limiting government spending -- and cutting taxes -- to improve the economy and spur job growth. Although both plans may have resulted in the same end -- Petro said his plan would have eliminated 11,000 state jobs and saved $1 billion annually -- Blackwell's message resonated more with voters.

"If I had to pin it on one thing, it was Ken's ability to articulate the issues as well as he did," Bennett said. Like Neumeyer, Bennett pointed back to Reagan in saying of Blackwell: "He truly takes after the Great Communicator."

Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

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Source: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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