According to an Ohio Poll released Wednesday, Oct. 23, Justice Evelyn Stratton has stretched out to a 38 percent to 31 percent lead over her opponent for the Nov. 5 election with 30 percent undecided.

In previous polls, the candidates were shown in a statistical dead heat, but the majority of voters had yet to form an opinion. As more and more people are informed, this poll suggests they are deciding for Stratton.

In the other race for Supreme Court, current Lieutenant Governor Maureen O’Connor leads Tim Black with 58 percent of likely voters saying they will vote for O’Connor, while 23 percent say they will vote for Black.

Read the full story from the Ohio News Network.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
This new data likely explains the recent decision among liberals to "go negative", as their own internal polling must reflect this trend as well.

This is not the time to become complacent! Expect more dirty tricks as desperation sets in. Do everything you can to help the 30% still undecided make the right decision!

Volunteer to help the Stratton campaign.

Volunteer to help the O'Connor campaign.

U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass made his second visit to Ohio in support of Democrat Timothy F. Hagan's battle to unseat Gov. Bob Taft.

"I, for one, am tired of playing defensive ball,'' Kennedy told a cheering crowd of 500 United Auto Workers at a convention in Huron, 100 miles north of Columbus on Lake Erie. "I want to see Tim Hagan elected governor so labor can go on the offensive.

Kennedy also visited Cleveland for a breakfast Thursday with community and religious leaders, followed by a stop at the United Auto Workers convention in Huron. He also appeared at a private fund-raiser for Hagan.

Hagan, former chairman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, has been a longtime friend of the Kennedy family. He is godfather to Kate Kennedy Townsend, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Read the whole story in the Toledo Blade.

Over the past few days, OFCC PAC has been following a story concerning some attack ads that were televised state-wide in effort to damage the reputations of a sitting Justice on the Ohio Supreme Court (Evelyn Stratton), and our state's current Lieutenant Governor (Maureen O'Connor), who is running for an open seat on the Court. Despite personal requests from Stratton & O'Connor, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Ohio Republican Party, Democrat court candidates have refused to request that the ads be pulled.

It has been said that at the end of the money trail lies the answer to any question. In our endorsement of Maureen O'Connor, OFCC PAC pointed out that a large portion of contributions for liberal candidates Black and Burnside are coming from trial lawyers.

It has now been revealed that the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers are the single largest contributor to Citizens for an Independent Court, the political action committee behind the widely condemned attack ads.

This PAC has raised more that $1.2 million this year in its campaign targeting the Republican candidates. The trial lawyers' PAC gave $699,087, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Ohio secretary of state's office last week. Other supporters, mostly labor unions, contributed $615,000, the report showed.