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Democrats, Republicans prepare to meet in Cleveland or Columbus
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Saturday, Feb 02, 2008
CNN has been negotiating with both state political parties all week to bring presidential debates to Cleveland or Columbus on Feb. 27 and 28.
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said his party's candidates will debate Wednesday, Feb. 27.
''It appears that Ohio will choose the Democratic nominee,'' Redfern said. ''If you would have asked me if this was possible six weeks ago, I would have said no, because we're a general election state.''
Although six Democrats filed Jan. 4 with the Ohio secretary of state's office to be on the March 4 ballot, only U.S. senators Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., are still in the race.
Kevin DeWine, Ohio Republican Party co-chairman, said Republicans will debate Thursday, Feb. 28.
''From a voter's standpoint, everyone in Ohio understands that the eyes of the world will be on us in November when we choose the next president,'' DeWine said. ''It's something special to have the eyes of our respective parties on our state in March, when we have the possibility of picking the nominee for both the Republicans and Democrats.''
Of the six Republicans who filed in Ohio, four candidates remain in the race: U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Congressman Ron Paul.
City to be selected
CNN is working with both parties to choose one city and one venue to hold the debates on consecutive nights.
CNN representatives are to visit Ohio next week to look at sites. The venue is expected to hold about 3,000 spectators and the parties will be in charge of ticket distribution for the audience.
Ohioans will head to the polls Tuesday, March 4, four days after the Republican debate.
Redfern said he expects the Democratic ticket will still be unresolved at that time, despite primaries in more than 20 states on Feb. 5.
''Barack Obama raised $32 million in one month and that means he has the money to run a regional campaign cycle for five days,'' Redfern said. ''Polling shows us that of the 22 or 23 state primaries on Tuesday, he's going to win seven or eight states, and that means he is a valid candidate heading into our primary on March 4.''
Wide-open field
Although McCain appears to have the momentum, DeWine said he believes the Republican nomination is far from settled.
''It's the first time in decades that no president or vice president is running. This is the first time in generations that there is a wide-open field,'' DeWine said. ''There's no presumptive favorite. Both races are wide open and competitive.''
On Super Tuesday, voters will go to the polls in a number of large states, including California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
The primaries next week are not regional, but stretch across Southern states such as Georgia and Alabama, through Oklahoma and Tennessee, out to the West in Arizona.
Ten more states, including Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana and Washington, will have primaries or caucuses before Ohio's primary, but it is unclear whether the fields will be narrowed and one candidate will emerge before then for either party.
Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island have primaries scheduled on the same day as Ohio.
State Rep. Tyrone Yates, D-Cincinnati, said he believes Obama's campaign is growing stronger each day and his message for change is resonating with voters across the country and in Ohio.
Yates, president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus that endorsed Obama, said he believes the candidate will win as many as half of the primary elections on Super Tuesday, thus ensuring a showdown with Clinton in Ohio.
Gov. Ted Strickland has worked on behalf of Clinton, campaigning for her in Iowa and helping to broaden her base in Ohio.
Strickland was unavailable for comment Friday.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
CNN has been negotiating with both state political parties all week to bring presidential debates to Cleveland or Columbus on Feb. 27 and 28.
Get the full article here.
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