Brown’s Impact in Ohio?

[Ben.]

There has been some discussion over which candidate (Hackett or Brown) best helps the Dems in the gubernatorial race in Ohio.

Out of interest what is the impact of Brown, a liberal, white, congressman who’s only likely to perform strongly in Cleveland on the other races on the ballot – most particularly Strickland’s campaign for Governor?       

[Galactic Overlord]

Let's see. It could be either:

Helpful: It mobilizes Democrats in Cleveland and in other urban areas to vote straight ticket for both Brown and Strickland.  Strickland in particular needs this since he is not as well known in northern Ohio.  Blackwell has usually performed as well or better in the cities than other Republicans on the ballot, so clipping this advantage can only help Strickland.

Hurtful: It helps to polarize the governor's race along idealogical lines, which goes to Blackwell's advantage.   That allows him to portray Strickland more easily as a liberal, which would cut down on Strickland's appeal in rural areas.  It will also decrease the issue of voter fatigue with the corrupt Taft administration that could spill over onto other Republicans.  Instead the race will be focused on idealogical issues.  This helped Bush in 2004.  Democrats sought to turn Ohio voters against Bush due to Taft's unpopularity, but it was largely unsuccessful.