Ohio Democratic Party

The Ohio Democratic Party is the Ohio affiliate to the national Democratic party.

Current Democratic Officeholders

Current Democratic strength lies mainly in the northeastern part of the state, the traditional pro-union, Democratic bastion, dominated by manufacturing and the cities of Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, and Canton. Democrats are in the majority in the urban areas of Toledo, Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati but those majorities are often offset by conservative strength in the surrounding suburbs. The impoverished Appalachian region of Ohio is traditionally Democratic and sometimes swings for the Democrats. Electoral strength is reflected in the mayoral offices of Ohio's major cities (which formed the heart of the Ohio Delegation to the 2004 Democratic National Convention), with the following Democrats in the most prominent mayoralties:

Related Topics:
Cleveland - Youngstown - Akron - Canton - Toledo - Dayton - Columbus - Cincinnati - Appalachian - Ohio Delegation to the 2004 Democratic National Convention

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• Cleveland: Jane L. Campbell
• Cincinnati: Charlie Luken
• Columbus: Michael B. Coleman
• Toledo: Jack Ford
• Dayton: Rhine McLin
• Akron: Donald L. Plusquellic
• Youngstown: George M. McKelvey (He's being courted by the Republicans to switch parties)
• Parma: Dean DiPiero

Six of the 18 members of Ohio's delegation to the United States House of Representatives are Democrats:

Related Topics:
Delegation - United States House of Representatives

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• Ted Strickland -- His southeastern Ohio district was a target of the Republican legislature's redistricting effort in 2001, but managed to survive. Strickland has expressed interest in running for governor in 2006.
• Marcia C. Kaptur
• Dennis J. Kucinich -- Kucinich ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004. At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Kucinich endorsed John Kerry, the nominee. Kucinich was the only candidate other than Kerry to receive votes at the convention.
• Stephanie Tubbs Jones -- Jones was the chairwoman of the party's platform committee at the 2004 convention and is co-chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
• Sherrod Brown -- Brown, a young, telegenic Democrat, is considered one of the stars of the Ohio Democratic Party. In 2001, the Republican legislature threatened to redistrict him out of office, but when Brown threatened to run for governor in 2002, they preserved his district. Brown has not tossed his name in the ring for the 2006 gubernatorial race.
• Timothy J. Ryan -- Ryan won national office by unseating eccentric incumbent Jim Traficant.

Democrats are a minority in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives. The party's leaders in these chambers are:

Related Topics:
Ohio State Senate - Ohio House of Representatives

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Senate

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• Leader: Gregory L. DiDonato
• Assistant Leader: Mark L. Mallory
• Whip: C. J. Prentiss
• Assistant Whip: Teresa Fedor

House of Representatives

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• Leader: Chris Redfern
• Assistant Leader: Joyce Beatty
• Whip: Dale Miller
• Assistant Whip: Lance Mason

Former Democratic Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher, whose wife served on the Ohio delegation to the Boston convention, lost the attorney general's office in 1994. In 1998, he was nominated for governor, but lost that race as well. He has hinted that he might be interested in re-entering statewide electoral politics. It has been surmised that he is referring to the 2006 gubernatorial race.

Related Topics:
Ohio Attorney General - Lee Fisher - 1994 - 1998

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