Free Republic

Several Republican former leaders from around Ohio are coming out in support of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tim Ryan as they condemn the actions of former President Donald Trump. Phil Heimlich, former Cincinnati City Council member and Hamilton County Commission member, described himself as a staunch conservative who looks to the polices of former President Ronald Reagan as a guiding principle. “Whether we're talking foreign policy, whether we're talking law and order, whether we're talking fighting extremism, if Ronald Reagan were here today, he wouldn't have anything to do with J.D. Vance. And I believe that we, as Republicans shouldn't...

Analysis: In a Primary for Ohio Governor today, 4/4/06, Ken Blackwell defeats Jim Petro for the Republican nomination, while Ted Strickland overwhelms Bryan Flannery on the Democratic side, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for WKYC-TV Cleveland, WCPO-TV Cincinnati, and WYTV-TV Youngstown. The primary is May 2nd. Blackwell, the current Ohio Secretary of State, gets 46%. Petro gets 32%. 22% are undecided. Men support Blackwell over Petro 2:1, but women are split. Strickland, who is not running for re-election as Representative from Ohio's 6th Congressional District, beats Flannery 60% to 15%, with 25% undecided. Filtering: 2,000 Ohio adults were interviewed...

Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell holds a double-digit lead in Ohio’s GOP gubernatorial primary race in the first Dispatch Poll before the May 2 election. While Attorney General Jim Petro trails by 11 points, nearly a third of Republican voters remain undecided. That means Petro must win two out of every three of those uncommitted voters just to draw even as the candidates fire up their TV ad war over the final five weeks of the campaign. Blackwell’s margin might help explain his decisions not to debate Petro and to limit media access. The front-runner will face a crucial...

The Real Meaning of Buckeye Special Election Is Ohio Turning Blue? by John Gizzi Posted Aug 12, 2005 In the wake of a Democratic candidate’s narrow loss in the August 2 special election in Ohio’s most Republican U.S. House district, pundits have begun pondering whether the Buckeye State is turning blue. The problem for Republicans seems to be the stench that has begun to envelop the administration of Ohio GOP Gov. Robert A. Taft. Republicans have held the Ohio governorship for 16 years and in the last two presidential elections the state has been indispensable in providing an Electoral College...

CINCINNATI -- Republican Jim Petro on Tuesday picked a Hamilton County commissioner to be his lieutenant-governor running mate in the campaign for the GOP's nomination for governor next year. Phil Heimlich, a commissioner since 2003, will appear with Petro, Ohio's attorney general, on the ballot in the May 2, 2006, Republican primary. Heimlich also served as a Cincinnati City Council member from 1993-2002 and as an assistant county prosecutor from 1984-1992. On council, Heimlich favored proposals restricting panhandling, ending a free-condom program at the Health Department and publishing the names of people convicted of soliciting for prostitution. He also was...

Petro Opposes Gay-Marriage Ban Amendment Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro becomes the first Republican state official to formally oppose Issue 1, saying he fears that the anti-gay marriage amendment will harm Ohio’s economy. As Ohio’s chief attorney, Petro shares the opinion that the amendment would prevent Cleveland Heights and public colleges from continuing to offer domestic-partner benefits. Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery, meanwhile, supports the issue, while Gov. Bob Taft is undecided.