Twenty-one percent of Ohioans said that they would vote for Cordray in the May 8 Democratic primary; 21 percent said they’d vote for Kucinich. Nearly half of those polled (46 percent), however, said they remained undecided. Both Joe Schiavoni (5 percent) and Bill O’Neill (4 percent) were very far behind.
Cordray fared best among older and whiter voters. Among the 65-and-older demographic, for example, 27 percent said they’d vote for Cordray. Only 14 percent in that group preferred Kucinich. Cordray also maintained a significant lead among wealthier voters (those who make more than $80,ooo per year) and both suburban and rural voters. Among rural voters, Cordray enjoyed a 10-point lead over Kucinich.
Geographically, Kucinich performed better in Cleveland and Toledo. Cordray had commanding leads in both the Columbus and Cincinnati areas.
On the Republican side, Mike DeWine vastly outperformed his opponent Mary Taylor in every single demographic category.
In theoretical general election match-ups between DeWine and Kucinich and DeWine and Cordray, the poll found that DeWine would win both, and would defeat Kucinich more convincingly. The poll had DeWine defeating Cordray by 8 points and Kucinich by 13.
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This article appears in Mar 21-27, 2018.
I have known Dennis since he was a copyboy and I was a reporter at the Plain Dealer. I have supported him on many issues through the years.
But now I believe he’s on an ego trip that could lead only to Republican control of the state for at least another four years. Even if elected, Kucinich can hardly be seen as able to govern. He makes a great protester, a good legislator but an awful person to govern. His two-year term as mayor of Cleveland certainly reveals this personal lack.
Roldo Bartimole
If Dennis Kucinich had played nice with Big Money, he could have had a shinier career. If as mayor of Cleveland he’d sold city-owned Muni Light to CEI, and sold out the people of Cleveland, he would’ve avoided the massive 1% propaganda that he “caused the city to go into default.” (It was actually the banks, friends of CEI, who called in loans to the city in an attempt to twist arms to force the sale of Muni. Do a web search on “interlocking corporations”.) If he’d sold residents out, they’d be paying 30% more for electric for the past fifty years (and into the future), but he’d be Big Money’s Boy and would have gotten their major money political contributions for life. But instead Dennis Kucinich did what was right for the people.
As Member of Congress, Dennis was one of the very few who voted against the PATRIOT Act, George W. Bush’s power give-away to the surveillance state. If there’s one part of government which those from the left and from the right agree should not be “big”, it’s surveillance over its citizens. Yet this egregious surveillance legislation was passed overwhelmingly by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Many of those who voted against it, like Dennis, who voted for the best interests of the people, for one reason or another were unsuccessful in their re-election.
Yeah, a lot of people say he’s brash and contentious. If he is that — and, frankly, in many personal, one-on-one conversations I’ve had with him as my Congressman I’ve found him personable and good-natured, even-tempered and respectful — if he is adamant and uncompromising in the best interests of the people he represents, then I’m all for that. More of our politicians should be like Dennis.