Developing : Former Congressional Candidate Considering Primary Run Against Jennifer Garrison
Submitted by Anthony Fossaceca on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 10:07am.
With the window closing, the sand pushing through the bottom of the hour glass, and the cliches just about spent, could someone finally be emerging to take on Jennifer Garrison in the May primary for Secretary of State?
Yes, we know.
We did this dance last month.
When Case Western Reserve University Professor Candice Hoke began letting friends know she was exploring a serious bid for the office, the progressive community went in two different directions - they were either supportive, or they didn't want get their hopes up. Well, get ready. Because we might be back at that critical point again.
OhioDaily has learned that Sharen Neuhardt, the 2008 Democratic candidate for the Seventh Congressional District seat, is talking to past donors and supporters about the possibility of entering the Ohio Secretary of State's race and taking on State Representative Jennifer Garrison. If she enters the race, Neuhardt needs to accomplish two things in short order. She needs to quickly spread the word of her candidacy to Democrats throughout the state, and she needs a very fast, very robust fundraising drive to demonstrate that Democrats will get behind her and donate the money she needs to win
Sources tell us that Neuhardt would likely make a decision within a week and would use the final days of the month introducing herself to Ohio progressives while trying to generate a smaller version of the Ron Paul "money bomb" where lots of activists not only contribute, but actively raise money for a candidate. We've not seen this work for a statewide candidate yet, but no one has really tried. And certainly no one has been considered as much of a lightning rod as Garrison.
Could Neuhardt raise $50-$100K in a matter of days? Would Ohio progressives who have grumbled and moaned since Marilyn Brown left the race, suddenly put their money where their mouths are? There's no doubt such an immediate splash would snowball, but how much? How fast? Are those same people willing to move fast to push petitions?
The disappointment with the departure of Marilyn Brown was met with the frustration of not coaxing Candice Hoke. Will Sharen Neuhardt boost the hopes and spirits of Ohio and national progressives? Or are we dancing with ourselves?
What took her so long?
I remember doing background research on her when her name was being bandied around last fall after Marilyn left the race. I hope she does run, and I will do everything in my power to help her. But in fact, she DOESN'T need to do anything with breathtaking speed other than collect signatures and file. The primary isn't until May. However, the faster she gets things together, the better it will be. Currently, most people, even active Democrats, barely know who is running. I don't know how Garrison's fundraising has been doing, but it's a virtual certainty she will lag everyone else on the ticket as hardcore activists start to learn more about her. That won't be the campaign they put their money into.
Cleveland-Marshall
Candice Hoke has absolutely nothing to do with Cleveland's second-best law school. She is an election law professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Draft Sharen Neuhardt for Secretary of State
Re: Anthony’s questions – Will people put their money where their mouths are, will they move fast to push petitions? I’m betting on a resounding yes to both (and in the absence of being able to post a “click here to contribute” link, I hereby pledge $100 to Sharen Neuhardt as soon as she has an ActBlue account up and running, with more to follow).
It’s not as if Neuhardt would be a dark horse candidate, trying to wrest support away from a mainstream candidate backed by big money. Far from it -- thanks to Garrison’s anti-choice and anti-LGBT history, Democratic support of Jennifer Garrison has been lukewarm at best. For most Democrats, Garrison’s candidacy is the dark shadow on Ohio’s 2010 election cycle – our choices there are so problematic. Being the candidate no one wants to think about isn’t exactly the way to get people to hand you money or knock on doors for you on a Saturday morning.
Sharen Neuhardt is not only on the same page as the rest of us in terms of agreement with the basic principles of the Democratic Party, she’s also qualified for the position in question. These are the important issues. As a candidate with a major campaign cycle already under her belt, she will successfully communicate those points in a race both against Garrison and ultimately against Husted.
Democrats who are active in primaries, whether as donors or volunteers or both, understand that early support is key. They will move quickly to throw very real support behind Neuhardt – they just need to be given a way to do that.