Republican John White is seeking re-election to represent Ohio House District 38. Both OFCC PAC and the Dayton Daily News endorse him.

In the newspapers words, "[White] has represented his district and community energetically and thoughtfully, and he deserves re-election."

OFCC PAC has been impressed with John White's voting record on CCW/self-defense-related issues. His familiarity and experience with HB274, for which he voted yes, ensures continued strong support for Ohio CCW initiatives in the House.

Read the entire endorsement in the Dayton Daily News.

Republican Jon Husted is seeking re-election to represent Ohio House District 37. Both OFCC PAC and the Dayton Daily News endorse him.

In the newspapers words, "Rep. Husted has earned a second term. Rep. Husted's name receives frequent mention among representatives to watch for House leadership. In an era of term limits, that goal is wholly realistic. ...Rep. Husted has been a loyal GOP soldier."

OFCC PAC has been impressed with Jon Husted's voting record on CCW/self-defense-related issues. His familiarity and experience with HB274, for which he voted yes, ensures continued strong support for Ohio CCW initiatives in the House.

The 37th Ohio House District (formerly the 41st) takes in areas of south-central Montgomery County including Oakwood, West Carrollton and Miamisburg, a part of Kettering and a small corner of Dayton.

Read the entire endorsement in the Dayton Daily News.

With his own campaign war chest overflowing, Gov. Bob Taft is sharing the largess with fellow Republicans in key races across the state.

Governor Taft gave $5,500 each to the two Republican candidates for Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Evelyn Stratton is locked in a re-election battle with Democratic Cuyahoga County Commissioner Janet Burnside. Lt. Gov. Maureen O’Connor is opposed by Democrat Hamilton County Municipal Judge Tim Black.

Governor Taft initially said he thought his campaign was prohibited from directly contributing to the court candidates. Later, campaign spokesman Orest Holubec said, "He can, and he’s maxed out." During the home stretch, the Republican candidates for Supreme Court outpaced their Democratic opponents more than three to one .

The governor has given $5,000 each to the House and Senate Republican campaign committees and contributed to numerous individual legislators locked in hometown battles.

Read the whole story in the Toledo Blade.

Ohio House Republicans have spent themselves into a deficit with a $4.8 million blitz in an attempt to hold their 59-40, pro-Concealed Carry Reform edge. Their Democratic counterparts still have $581,893 to unload before the Nov. 5 election on anti-Reform campaigns.

House Minority Leader Greg L. DiDonato of New Philadelphia said at least $700,000 would be spent in trying to unseat Republican Sens. Rep. Kevin J. Coughlin, of Cuyahoga Falls and Jeffry J. Armbruster of North Ridgeville. Their opponents, Tom Bevan and Sue Morano, already have received $100,000 apiece from the Democratic caucus.

Rep. Linda Reidelbach, Worthington Hills Republican, received $37,216 in mailings from the caucus, and David A. Dobos, the GOP candidate on the West Side, received $27,809 in mailings. Both races are tight.

House Democrats contributed $25,000 to the campaign of West Side labor leader Dan Stewart, Dobos' opponent in the 25th District of Franklin County. Lori Tyack, Reidelbach's opponent, received $2,000 from the caucus.

Read the whole story in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only).

Bolstered by an infusion of $150,000 in just six weeks, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton has stretched her fund-raising lead in the closest race on the statewide ballot.

Because current Lt. Gov. Maureen O'Connor is well ahead of her opponent, Democrat Tim Black, many contributors are redirecting their money to Stratton.

"When the polls showed that O'Connor had a large lead, some of the donors decided to give to Stratton instead,'' a Republican strategist said. "That would account for Stratton's larger war chest.''

Stratton has generated about $1.6 million, compared with more than $1 million for Burnside.

More than two-thirds of the Democrat's money comes from trial lawyers and lobbyists. She has received nearly $100,000 in contributions from unions.

In the race for an open seat on the court, O'Connor, currently lieutenant governor, has raised $1.5 million.

Her opponent, Tim Black, has raised nearly $1.3 million, but spent nearly all the money he raised through Oct. 16. More than half of the Cincinnati judge's money has come from lawyers and about $200,000 from unions.

Read the full story in the Columbus Dispatch (Subscription site - paid access only).

Volunteer to help the Stratton campaign.

Volunteer to help the O'Connor campaign.

The latest Ohio Poll, released Wednesday, October 23 by the University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research, shows Governor Bob Taft with a 54 to 38 percent lead over Tim Hagan. In a similar poll released last month, Taft had a 53 to 35 percent lead.

Recent anti-Concealed Carry Reform comments by Hagan have highlighted this race in the eyes of self-defense reformers more than some would have expected.

On Monday, Gov. Bob Taft's campaign bought $2.7 million worth of television time in Ohio, more than twice as much as Taft's opponent, Democrat Timothy F. Hagan, has raised for his entire campaign.

The starkness of that comparison tells the tale of Ohio's race for governor between an incumbent whose face repeatedly appears every night on TV screens across the state and a challenger still struggling to be recognized by Ohio voters.

Campaign-finance reports filed yesterday, 12 days before the Nov. 5 election, show Hagan's campaign operating on a wing and a prayer, while Taft continues to stockpile record amounts of cash to carry his message to Ohio's estimated 7 million voters.

Read about the poll at the Ohio News Network.

Read about the fund raising in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only).

Read OFCC PAC's position statement on the 2002 Governor's race.