Local Elections

by: Mike Lux

Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 15:55

Given that the Kentucky and Mississippi races were landslides, the VA State Senate results were the biggest political news of these off-year elections, but there were also local elections all over the country. I got this really exciting report from my friends at the Ohio Democratic Party:

1. Democrats beat Republicans across the state in the 2007 races.

-These 2007 victories are historic: In 2007, not only did Democrats win in all regions of the state

- North, South, East and West, but Democrats also won in all parts of the state-urban, suburban, exurban, and rural areas.

-Democrats took back key seats held by Republicans, including Lorain mayor, Canton mayor, Marion mayor, North Royalton mayor, Bellefontaine mayor, Mt. Vernon city council, and Zanesville city council.

-Democrats held key incumbent offices, including Columbus mayor and city council, Cincinnati city council, Toledo city council, Elyria mayor, Chillicothe mayor, Defiance mayor, and Marietta mayor.

-Democrats won key open offices. We won the Mansfield mayors race, where Donald Culliver is the first African American mayor in the city's history. Democrats also won the mayors races in Athens and Wapakoneta.

-Democrats won in key bellwether areas for 2008. Democrats won the Chillicothe mayors race and the Canton mayors race. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Chillicothe is a "bellwether" and is "just the place for tracking the '08 campaign." In 2003, Karl Rove used Canton as a testing ground for 2004 and the GOP was doing the same in 2007.

-Democrats now lead the top ten cities in Ohio. Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Parma, Youngstown, Canton, and Lorain. The largest contested city in the state that a Republican won in 2007 is Newark, the 23rd largest city in the state.

-Near Democratic sweeps in many key areas. In Marion - a Republican county - Democrats swept the top offices. We won the mayor, auditor, and president of city council. In Mansfield, Democrats won everything except one city council seat.

-Democrats elected a strong farm team in 2007, including Scott Schertzer as Marion mayor, Rebecca Jordan for Mt. Vernon City Council, Adam Brannon as Bellefontaine mayor (at age 22), and Lindsey Webb for Toledo City Council.

2. What the 2007 results mean for 2008

-Ohio's transition from a Red State to a Blue State is accelerating. The 2007 results show the political ground in Ohio continues to shift toward Democrats. The 2006 elections started this shift, with 563,186 voters crossing over from Bush in 2004 to Gov. Strickland, and 442,116 voters crossing over from Bush to U.S. Senator Brown. These voters - who are now open to a dialogue with the Democratic Party - represent a real opportunity for us in 2008, especially given the narrow 118,601 Presidential vote margin in 2004.

-Voters are responding to the Democrats' message of putting people first. Voters are receptive to the Democrats message of change, of getting things done, and of making government work for Ohio's families instead of the special interests. The 2007 elections build on this momentum and show that the gains Democrats made statewide in 2006 were the beginning of a much larger shift.

-Voters are rejecting the Republican message of endless war and endless corruption. As one voter in Canton said, "I voted for [Democratic candidate William] Healy because the way I feel right now, Republicans aren't doing too good of a job. I mean, nationally. I never was a Bush fan ever. I feel his whole view on the war in Iraq was to finish what his dad started."

-The Ohio Democratic Party is stronger than ever before. Not only are we on a record fundraising pace and benefit from a strong team led by Governor Strickland, Senator Sherrod Brown and the rest of the statewide Democratic officeholders, we also have thousands of energized, motivated activists across the state, and a detailed roadmap for winning in 2008 and beyond.

-We have a motivated base: The Ohio Democratic Party's involvement in 2007 went well beyond just financially supporting candidates. We organized local canvasses and door-knock programs. We helped candidates navigate difficult issues. We did smart mail programs. We did TV. We helped coordinate travel and appearances by statewide and local officeholders. And perhaps most importantly, we trained thousands of activists on the local level on the mechanics of campaigns. These volunteers, who now have at least one election cycle of experience, are now engaged and ready to work for victory in 2008.

I haven't had a chance to do a thorough review of local races around the country today, but I would love to hear from folks what you think the most significant news is in terms of local elections from your state.