Eric Fingerhut (D) to run for U.S. Senate (Ohio)

Cleveland--State Sen. Eric Fingerhut of Shaker Heights has announced he is running for U.S. Senate in 2004.

Fingerhut made his announcement the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats annual meeting January 13.

Fingerhut told the 28 members gathered at the Lesbian and Gay Community Service Center of Cleveland.

Fingerhut is the first Democrat to announce candidacy for the Senate seat now held by Republican George Voinovich.

Fingerhut served in the U.S. House in 1992 and 1993, representing Lake, Ashtabula and eastern Cuyahoga counties in the then-19th District. He held an Ohio Senate seat from 1991 to 1992, and was elected to his present eastern Cleveland suburban 25th District seat in 1998.

He has been one of the loudest voices for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the Ohio legislature.

Fingerhut was the first senator to publicly oppose the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in 1999 when it was introduced in the Ohio Senate. He opened his office to LGBT activists and lobbyists working to defeat the measure.

Fingerhut's office again served as a resource and work space for opponents of the DOMA introduced in 2001, even though it was only acted on in the Ohio House.

At the meeting, Fingerhut pledged his office again in the event that another DOMA bill is introduced in 2003.

In 2001, Fingerhut proposed that Ohio create an institute that would study and keep statistics on hate crimes, including those committed on the basis of sexual orientation and gender.

Fingerhut told the Gay People's Chronicle at the time that he considered the institute the first step in getting the legislature to pass a GLBT-inclusive hate crime law.

Republicans backed by religious conservatives agreed, and stopped the bill from leaving committee for that reason, although the institute itself had no power to protect LGBT Ohioans.

In contrast, Voinovich scored 14 percent on the Human Rights Campaign scorecard for the session of Congress just ended. His only favorable action was signing a non-discrimination policy for his own office.

However, Voinovich opposed an attempt to add sexual orientation to the anti-discrimination section of the rules governing all senate employment practices as well as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would cover the entire country.

Fingerhut told the Stonewall Democrats that his campaign will be focused on the future.

Part of doing that, according to Fingerhut, is to aggressively fight any attempt to pass a DOMA in Ohio this year.

Fingerhut warned that Republicans will have to face reality and raise taxes in Ohio. And in doing that, they will have to make their core supporters happy by giving them other things that they want, which includes things like a DOMA bill.

Fingerhut called such a tactic bait and switch, adding that it sends the wrong message to the rest of the country about Ohio.

"Stuff like this makes the news," said Fingerhut, "and you can add it to the litany of what we have been through this year with things like concealed weapons and intelligent design. Do we want [DOMA] to be the latest statement on what we want the next news story in Ohio to be?"

"I would rather lose with an egregious DOMA bill that we can continue to campaign against than to settle for a little better one because we think we have to," said Fingerhut, "I want you to think about ways to win."

The Stonewall Democrats also elected their officers for 2003 at the annual meeting. Patrick Shepherd was re-elected president; Randy Goodman was elected vice president for political strategy; Kathleen Connors, vice president for fundraising; Joan McFaul, vice president for public relations; Anthony Warmuth, membership chair; Jeff Zelmer, secretary; and Barbara Bowley, treasurer.

The treasurer of the newly-formed political action committee, which will make contributions to political candidates, is Brooke Willis. The deputy treasurer is John Corlett.

Is this the same Fingerhut that made the family fortune selling cheap products at 3 times the market price through a catalog to mostly poorer people that couldn't otherwise get credit?

And then would charge close to 30% interest?

You could buy a $250 camera from the Fingerhut catalog and only pay $15 a month for about 4 years and almost no one was turned down. By the time you paid for the camera, it cost close to $700!

Sort of like all those rental places that advertise "no credit check" to rent to buy a TV for 350% of the normal price. Or check cashing places that charge $28 per $100 to "hold a check". Geez, it's cheaper just to bounce the dang thing! lol

Oh yeah, I bet Mr. Fingerhut really, really, really cares about the poor and the middle class and wants to "help them"!

Here's a suggestion: forget the Senate and close your business.

Springer considering several Ohio offices
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Joe Hallett
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Talk-show host Jerry Springer will decide by summer whether to challenge Republican Sen. George V. Voinovich in 2004, he said last night.

Springer, 59, estimated it would cost $20 million to defeat Voinovich, who has said he will seek a second six-year term in the Senate next year.

If he decides to run for the Senate, Springer said he would welcome a Democratic primary challenge in March 2004, estimating it might cost $5 million to win the party's nomination.

"I have the resources,'' said Springer, a millionaire, adding that he would not fully self- finance a Senate campaign but would count on funds from the Democratic Party in a race against Voinovich.

So far, state Sen. Eric Fingerhut of Cleveland is the only Democrat to announce plans to run for the U.S. Senate in 2004.

Before speaking to 115 Democratic officials at a Downtown hotel for the winter meeting of the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association, Springer stressed that he had not decided whether, or where, to re-enter Ohio politics. A former Cincinnati mayor and city councilman, Springer said he could run for Cincinnati mayor in 2005 or governor in 2006.

"I want to be helpful in rebuilding the party,'' Springer said. "Whether I have to be a candidate is a totally separate issue. . . . I don't need a job.''

But he admitted that his interests are in national issues. At least one longtime confidant, Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Timothy M. Burke, said Springer has been discussing a possible Senate bid with party officials around the state.

"I'd certainly like to see him run,'' Burke said.

Springer conceded that the smut-filled weekday television show bearing his name is an obstacle to a political comeback.

"There are pluses and minuses. The plus is that I'm known by everybody. The minus is that I'm known by everybody.''

Springer brought the assembled Democrats to their feet with a fiery 15-minute speech that castigated President Bush for squandering America's goodwill around the world and for policies making the nation vulnerable to terrorist attacks and economic chaos.

Springer said he and other wealthy Americans would benefit most from Bush's tax-cut proposals, adding, "Don't give me the money. Take that money and make sure every citizen in the United States has health insurance.''

Afterward, Burke said, "I could see the skepticism in the eyes of some people when he began speaking, and by the end he had won them over.''

Wood County Chairman Al Baldwin said he could support Springer for the Senate: "I'm not prepared to dismiss him.''

But Jefferson County Chairman John M. Abdalla said, "The obstacles are too great for him. I'm afraid the Republicans would dirty him up on account of his show.''

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