The person who takes over as chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party has a monumental task.
Despite claims from some, Ohio is solid purple in many ways. Going back to 1990, Democrats have won statewide executive branch offices in only 2006 and Republicans have a stranglehold on the state Legislature, even picking up seats in the recent election.
David Pepper has been Democratic chairman since January 2015, taking over after the 2014 statewide election — an utter disaster for the party. He’s leaving Jan. 1.
Pepper was able to eliminate the party’s debt and field a strong slate of statewide candidates in 2018. But in the end, results matter. Those candidates lost two years ago, and Donald Trump won Ohio this year and four years ago.