Ohio’s first lady kicks off campaign for Dems

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By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer Updated 6:46 PM Saturday, June 5, 2010

DAYTON — Montgomery County Democrats kicked off their 2010 mid-term campaign with speeches, canvassing — and a guitar-wielding first lady.

Frances Strickland, wife of Gov. Ted Strickland, began the campaign Saturday June 5 by brandishing a Gibson acoustic guitar at a Democratic Party headquarters podium on Wilkinson Street. She led listeners in a version of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” with altered lyrics.

“Let’s keep Ohio moving/Dems are going four more years,” Strickland sang with Attorney General Richard Cordray, as recently appointed Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Brown looked on, nodding his head.

Though the election is Nov. 2, local Democrats say it’s no accident they’re starting to campaign now. An anti-incumbent mood has taken hold, some believe, while others are concerned that the party that holds the White House traditionally loses seats in mid-term contests. That’s a trend they wish to beat.

“The days are getting longer — which is good,” Cordray said. “More time to canvass.”

“The Republicans have a lot of money, but we have to have a lot of people,” said Pat Stidham, a volunteer for Organizing for America, a Democratic National Committee organization which is gearing up for November across the country. “At the end of the day, it’s the vote that counts.”

Volunteer Laurie Kemp rejected the idea that this election will be particularly tough for Democrats, in light of President Obama’s softening popularity and an underlying distrust of government in general.

“We don’t believe that’s true,” Kemp said. “We believe that's a falsehood propagated by our opponents.”

Brown urged volunteers to remind neighbors and friends that Supreme Court candidates don’t appear on ballots with party affiliations. He reminded them that the last Democrat elected to the court was former justice Alice Robie Resnick in 2000.

“These are not just academic exercises on paper,” Brown said of the court’s impact.

Volunteer Valerie Little was looking forward to spending Saturday afternoon canvassing residents of Huber Heights.

“Our basic idea is to get them to pay attention,” she said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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