And we're off!!!!

The next round of entrants into the 2010 election has popped up! I'm a little late on a couple of these, so bear with me:

• Both Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner have announced their intentions to run for the Senate seat being exited by Sen. Voinovich. Gov. Strickland is behind Fisher, stating that he's the "most qualified," which many took as an indicator for other hopefuls to hold off until Fisher is in or out. Brunner, apparently, decided the time was ripe. I like Brunner. Both are excellent as far as queer folks go, and both have been acknowledged as being pro-LGBT by Equality Ohio, but I think the appeal of electing the first female Senator from Ohio is too great.
• And, despite the strength of Portman's name, it doesn't appear like he's going to go in for an easy run. Even possible contender for the Republican nomination -- state Auditor Mary Taylor -- is not holding up well against either Democrat. In all cases, there is a double digit lead in the early (early early) polling in favor of Brunner or Fisher. Fisher, btw, fairs the best. (The NYTimes also notes the Dem favor in the general election, saying that the Republicans will still bear the brunt of the Bush administration into 2010.)
• Meanwhile, don't think that Brunner/Fisher will be the final match-up. Christopher Celeste, son of former Democratic Governor Richard Celeste, has announced his intentions to run for Senate, as well. Though he claims he doesn't feel entitled, with no political history of his own to rely on, one wonders: what's the frakkin' point?
• Gov. Strickland looks poised to be OK in his seat, even against former Senator Mike DeWine or former Representative John Kasich, polling double digits above either candidate. I just think it says quite a bit that we're talking about a lot of "former this" Republicans, while we have a lot of seated Democrats. I'm just saying...
• In the midst of a lawsuit against WCPO for age and gender discrimination, former newscaster Laure Quinlivan is considering a run for Cincinnati City Council. I have some serious questions about the appropriateness of journalists becoming politicians. In fact, with the history this very article details, I'm really uncomfortable with the number of jumps that has happened. How good are newscasters if they always think: one day, I'll run for office.
• The Kentucky Senate race against Jim Bunning is starting to shape up, with Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo announcing his intentions to run. Two other Democrats -- Attorney General Jack Conway and state Auditor Crit Luallen -- may also announce in the next few weeks.

There's not a lot of gay in all these things, but it got me thinking on this: if we have such a fabulously supportive Executive Branch in Ohio for LGBT rights, why don't we have them yet?

Comeback for DeWine in 2010?

2006 was an auspicious election for me as a voter. It was the first time I had voted with a winner. In this case, it was two winners -- Governor Strickland and Senator Brown. So, the fact that Mike Dewine's name is coming up in a run for something -- he's not even sure yet -- is annoying to me.

Let's do this for fmr. Senator DeWine...

Mike DeWine, U.S. Senator (1995-2007), Lt. Governor (1991-1995), U.S. House of Representatives (1983-1991), Ohio State Senate (1981-1983)

Mr. Dewine is not sure what he wants to run for, but he's sure it's for state-wide office. There are, then, three potential positions open for him: U.S. Senator (again, filling Voinovich's seat), Ohio Governor (against Ted Strickland), and ... get this ... Ohio Attorney General? The last position there seems to put him into a good elected government job that he will excel at in the hopes of future runs when the GOP is poised to make better gains.

How, then, is Mr. DeWine on gay issues? Project Vote-Smart has taken him out of their databases, temporarily, since he does not currently hold any office and is not officially running yet. So let's turn to his Wikipedia article and his OntheIssues score sheet (and, hold on, it's going to get weird):

• On Marriage: Voted YES in 1996 for DOMA, and YES for the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 to ban same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, he was against the statewide referendum on gay marriage (Issue 1) because he felt that it limited heterosexual couples.'
• On Sexual Orientation Protections: In 1996, he voted NO on adding sexual orientation job protections.
• On Hate Crimes: In 2000, he voted YES on expanding hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation, but vote NO on a similar bill two years later, in 2002.

Right, did you catch all that?

But the most important thing that we need to keep in mind, in all of this is simple:

Mike DeWine was one of the co-sponsors of the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006.

You read that right, kids.

Go back to your hole, Mr. DeWine. We don't want you here.

Trust me, we'll keep you up to date on this one.

On the flip side, Mr. DeWine may be good for the GOP. Though he has a mixed record on civil rights -- rated 40% by the ACLU -- he is scandal free, intelligent, everything-else-moderate Republican from Ohio. That seems to be something in desperate need for that party, right now. Too bad he is so freakin' unattractive... At least Boehner is good looking.

And his name is Boehner. Ha-ha.

The more I read, the more I think I'm going to call it: Mr. DeWine will run for Attorney General in 2010, barring unforeseen scandal or sudden drop in the Dems' approval ratings.