US Senate Primary Election 5/4/10: The Democratic Candidates

Unless someone else files in the next six days, the competitors for the Democratic nomination for George Voinovich's seat are set.

The candidates are Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher. Both are fairly well known across the state as they've held office for several years now. Aside from a considerable lead in fundraising for Fisher, there doesn't seem to be a clear advantage for either candidate, especially when paired against the favored GOP candidate Rob Portman.

An interesting fact to note is that while Brunner is FAR behind in money (usually the key indicator in a race) she's still hanging tough. And with just a couple months to go till the primary, it's the Fisher campaign that's shaking things up with a new campaign manager.

This is already a race to watch!

US Senate Primary Election 5/4/10: the GOP Candidates

Unless some other candidates file in the next nine days the competitors for the US Senate seat being vacated by George Voinovich are set.

For the GOP nomination it's a fight between a newbie from Cleveland named Tom Ganley--who has a large fortune from his auto dealing companies--and veteran Congressman/US Trade Rep/Director of Office of Management and Budget Rob Portman from Cincinnati. While Portman enjoys the backing the Republican Party leadership and all the perks and advantages that entails, Ganley is tapping into the anti-government feelings popularized by the "Tea Party" movement.

In a lot of ways, this primary is the epitome of the struggle going on in the GOP and the rest of our political structure. Across the board, issues are being increasingly polarized over bigger government vs no government, with no one considering the idea of a middle ground.

Incumbents are being pooh-poohed simply because they're a part of government--regardless of their actual accomplishments or lack thereof. Compromise candidates like the "Blue Dog" Democrats are getting caught in the middle: too liberal for their constituents, too conservative for party leadership. GOP incumbents such as Arlen Specter are finding it necessary to change parties just to have a chance of staying in office--because they've become too "establishment" and "liberal" for the GOP base.

The Portman/Ganley showdown is another sign of this. Government veteran, or government outsider? Political operator or commercial giant? Seasoned legislator or successful executive? Those are some of the choices GOP voters will have to decide in May, and the results could be quite interesting for the future of this country.