[fieldmarshaldj]

"I think we'd both agree Ohio isn't either of those. Remember that status thing goes both ways and most of the OH GOP will see that a loss to the Dems would be a blow to their status as well."

You're right, OH isn't IL or NJ. But sometimes the GOP establishment will prefer the 'Rats to win IF it means that they do not meddle in their internal party control. The question is whether Blackwell is perceived as so much of a threat that they'd risk a Strickland Administration to preserve establishment control. If Petro somehow were to get the nod, and he IS a Taftite establishmentite, we know he will go down to flaming defeat in November.

[MikefromOhio]

I don't know....

Some of them seem to take having that R by their name quite seriously....

I know one of the GOP leaders in Licking County. He's firmly in the Petro camp but says that if Blackwell wins he's throwing everything he has into that camp. And from what he said he doesn't expect to be alone.