Primary Election - Low Hanging Fruit - Republicans & TOSS UP RACES

From the Republican Side, the easy races to predict are:

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Betty Montgomery will win this race based on experience and name. However, I won't vote for her, I think Tim Grendell is a great candidate and a good lawyer who now has gotten caught in the fallout of the Governor's race. He deserves better.
I would had no problem voting for her if she had dropped in the AG race last fall, like it had been rumored since about last August, but she stuck around the Governor's race and finally when the numbers were not coming in, she bailed. Now Tim Grendell who had spent a lot of time and probably money in working the state to get his name out for the AG's job will have to wait around for 4 more years. I sure hope that if the Republicans can hold the Governor's seat that Mr. Grendell is rewarded with a high post in the administration or a Judicial appointment.
As I see it he got royally screwed by the Party and now with term limits he will be out of the Senate at the end of 2008.

TREASURER

Jennette Bradley will retain the seat that she was appointed to in 2005.

US SENATE

Mike DeWine - The only race to be had here is whether the winner will be called before the Strickland race. The DeWine war chest is full and ready to fight Sherrod Brown. The race in the fall will be a fight between the mid to far left and moderate to hard right! I will even go out on the limb now and say, that barring any unknown debacle on the part of the DeWine campaign, the GOP will hold this seat.

U S CONGRESS - 10th District

Mike Dovilla will win this race against Jason Werner. No question, Dovilla is a better campaigner and get his message across much better about his ideas for the NEOhio and the Country. Werner's heart is in the right place, but he is in the wrong race. I expect his name to come up in a lower level race sometime in the future.

All the other races on the Republican side except for the Governor's race are either toss ups or are unchallenged

Its interesting that the ballot for the Republicans is only two pages long and the Democrats have 3 pages. The Republican's and Democrat's (so I am told) goal this year was to fill out the ballot with a name in each slot. Looks like the Donks did a little better job for the Primary.

TOSS UP RACES

DEMOCRATS

ATTORNEY GENERAL

the race between Marc Dann and Subodh Chandra is one those races where people just don't know who to vote for because unless they lived in Dann's Senate seat in Trumbull County or were familiar that Chandra was the Law Director for Mayor Jane Campbell's administration they are just not that well known.

Marc Dann is in a similar situation as Tim Grendell, both Senators with term limits that will end in '08. Dann would be a good choice since he understands the way things work in Columbus, however that may not be enough.

Subodh Chandra is the better choice for the mere fact he has dealt with the law from a Federal and municipal level, because of that he would have a better ability to grasp those legal issues that face the State and its residents and be able to act on them.

Either one will face a very steep hill to climb against Montgomery. This is another seat the Republicans will retain in November.

10th DISTRICT

Dennis Kucinich V. Barbara Anne Ferris

Ten days ago, this race was no match, it would have been Kucinich in walk. Then the PD threw this race into the toss up category by endorsing Ferris. Everyone knows DENNIS warts and all, Barbara has been campaigning for better part of a year. In fact I saw her at more events than some my competitors during the Lakewood City Council races last summer.

I will say, that the race is up to Kucinich, will he have the ability to muster his forces to get out the vote. A lot of people, (me included) are tired of his antics and politics, but he has always had the ability to swoop in and save the day for the Average Joe or Jane. The question is can he swoop in and save his own hide, I think not -- pick Barbara Ann Ferris in a tight one

4/29/06 UPDATE - received a call from a Volunteer from the Re-Elect Dennis Campaign, looks the forces are attempting regroup to help Dennis. The Volunteer wanted to argue with me about Dennis' record. He referred to Ferris as really a Republican. My thought is of course anybody to the right of Kucinich's politics is going to look like a Republican.

Court of Appeals - (Term 2/9/07)

This is the race that has two moves to it. If either Pat Carroll or Mary Boyle win this seat in November, the Governor will have to fill the vacancy in the former seat. I have always thought this was a two person race, Loretta Coyne is the third choice here but she is going against two sitting Judges.

Pat Carroll is the Muni Court Judge in Lakewood (and is no relation to this writer) Mary Boyle is a Common Pleas Court Judge. I don't know Judge Carroll, but based on my campaign he has either of love'em or hate'em constituency.

Judge Boyle has a Lakewood connection, her bailiff is a Lakewood resident. I have had two cases in Judge Boyle's courtroom over the past six years, in fact one of them was before the November election last fall. She is an able and capable judge who will get to the right decision.

But based on my first hand knowledge of her abilities, Mary Boyle will face off in November against Ralph Perk.

There is one other Judicial race that I will be following and the is a Common Pleas Court race between Christine, Russo, James Satola and Ann T. Mannen. Mannen is the incumbent in this race, but I am going with the upset here and pick James Satola.

REPUBLICANS TOSS UPS

There is only one race on the Republican ballot that is a truly a toss up;

Member of the State Central Committee - Women 23rd District

Colleen Wing and Ebony F. Grantonz

For me this is not a toss up, but of the rank and file Republicans they will say "WHO" and most likely skip it. Since I don't know Ebony, I will take Colleen Wing as the known quantity and hard worker that she is.

Tomorrow - My Decision on the Republican Primary for Governor