Thursday, August 28, 2014 Crystal Ball says Ohio governor's race is done FitzGerald says: 'What does Virginia know?' Story by M.L. SCHULTZE AND ANDY CHOW
FitzGerald insists he isn't giving up, just streamlining and focusing on face-to-face campaigning.
Courtesy of M.L. SCHULTZE
The University of Virginia’s Crystal Ball is the latest political prognosticator to declare Ohio’s governor’s race is virtually over. It’s putting incumbent Gov. John Kasich in the “safe” category.
The report says the already long-shot hopes for Democrat Ed FitzGerald have grown longer since reports surfaced that FitzGerald was found parked with a woman in his car at 4:30 in the morning two years ago. Then came revelations that he had not had a regular driver’s license for nearly a decade.
The editor of the Crystal Ball, Kyle Kondik, says FitzGerald’s problems have scared national Democrats away.
LISTEN: Kondik on national DemocratsOther options: MP3 Download(0:17)
“What the recent stories do is they sort of confirm this belief amongst ng many, that he just really wasn’t a viable candidiate. If they’re going to try to win some Republican-held governor’s races this year, they have many other targets where they could spend their money.”
But FitzGerald – who was stumping the Stark County Fair shortly after Crystal Ball issued its prediction -- insists he’s speaking to far more important issues like jobs and education.
“That’s how you win elections. You talk about issues that people actually care about. And I don’t know what some guy from Virginia cares about, but for people who actually live here, those are the issues that actually matter to them.”
Crystal Ball says a strong showing by Kasich in November could also boost his presidential hopes for 2016.
Portman says the Army Corps should get the message: No dumping
