By Chad D. Baus

In 2006, the Ohio Republican Party employed a strategy of supporting candidates with state-wide name recognition (and anti-gun records) over pro-gun candidates that were less well-known.

The state party, under the control of then-Chairman Bob Bennett, backed anti-gun Jeanette Bradley over pro-gun Sandy O'Brien for Treasurer, and anti-gun candidate Betty Montgomery over pro-gun candidate Tim Grendell for Attorney General.

Believing that "O'Brien can't win" in November, party leaders sunk the party's resources into Bradley. Despite having earned statewide name recognition while serving as Lt. Governor in the Taft administration, and despite her opponent having almost no resources (in comparison to the Ohio Republican Party-backed candidate), pro-gun Sandy O'Brien defeated anti-gun Jeanette Bradley in the primary.

Betty Montgomery, meanwhile, who once infamously told Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine she would "never be the candidate of the NRA", won her primary, but was defeated in November - by a far lesser known and less well-funded (but pro-gun!) Democrat.

Is history about to repeat itself, just one state-wide election cycle later? Will the Ohio Republican party, under the new leadership of Chairman Kevin DeWine, continue the failed strategy of supporting candidates with name recognition over those with a record of strong support for gun rights?

The 2010 race for Attorney General is shaping up to be an excellent bellwether.

The following interview was published in the June-July 2009 issue of Gunsmoke, the membership newsletter of the Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association (ORPA).

By David Johnson

We're starting a series of articles about some of the other fine organizations that promote the shooting sports, hunting, and firearm rights in Ohio. This month, we asked a few questions of James Irvine, Chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association and President of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation.