Jo Ingles
Ohio Democrats are set to pick their new party chair Thursday. And party insiders are starting to rally around two of their six choices.
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Former Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper resigned at the end of last month, saying it was time for a new leader to take over the helm. Pepper had held that post for five years.
The new chair will have to figure out new strategies for winning in Ohio. The party has not won a single, non-judicial statewide seat for more than a decade. And in the most recent election, Ohio re-elected President Donald Trump with a larger margin than in 2016.
Liz Walters emerges as Ohio Democratic Party chair favorite following endorsement from Sherrod Brown, big labor backing
Updated Jan 12, 2021;
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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Democratic bigwigs have thrown their support behind Summit County Councilwoman Liz Walters to become the next chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, with those in charge of powerful blocs of voters saying she has secured enough votes to win Thursday’s election.
That includes an endorsement from Sen. Sherrod Brown – the most high-profile Democrat in the state – and significant backing from labor unions in the race to succeed now-resigned Chair David Pepper.
“Liz Walters has spent her life serving our state and fighting for the Dignity of Work,” Brown said in a statement. “She understands the challenges facing our state and has laid out a comprehensive vision that will allow our party to compete in every community in Ohio, field strong candidates up and down the ballot and show working families in
AP
Former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper speaks at a presidential primary debate at Otterbein University in Westerville. Pepper resigned from his party post at the end of 2020.
Rarely is there anything that happens in the Ohio Democratic Party that takes place as smooth as silk.
Take the choice of a new state party chair, which is scheduled to take place when the party s executive committee meets in Columbus Jan. 14.
The party needs a new leader with the resignation of Cincinnati s David Pepper. As this is written, there are five candidates to replace him.
I m told that the choice of a new party chair is getting mixed up in the 2022 gubernatorial race, as several potential candidates, including mayors John Cranley of Cincinnati and Nan Whaley of Dayton, jockey for position to possibly take on GOP incumbent Mike DeWine in 2022. No Democrat has formally announced a candidacy; several are sniffing the air to see if the time is right.
Jan 8, 2021
The Ohio Democratic Party’s executive committee will meet Thursday to select a new leader and will elect the first woman to the position.
It’s almost certain Liz Walters, Summit County Council president and former state party executive and political director, has the necessary votes.
While there are five other candidates in the race, the only serious challenger to Walters is Antoinette Wilson, a Columbus political consultant with a lot of wins under her belt.
The biggest shakeup in the race occurred when Lou Gentile, a former state legislator from Steubenville, withdrew as candidate.
His withdrawal letter didn’t provide details for his decision. But Gentile could see that the party’s key figures were backing Walters, and it was best to avoid a messy fight for the chairman’s position, especially because he was unlikely to win.