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Cleveland Democrat Enters 2014 Ohio Governor Race
By: Associated Press
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UPDATE 1:31 p.m. The top Democratic official in Cuyahoga County has officially entered the campaign to challenge Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich in next year's election.
County Executive Ed FitzGerald kicked off his campaign Wednesday in a crowded Cleveland ballroom, describing the Kasich administration as lobbyist-directed, cutting school aid and backing tax policies that benefit the rich.
FitzGerald plans to repeat the announcement later in Columbus and Cincinnati.
The 44-year-old former FBI agent and Lakewood mayor calls himself a reformer who helped restore integrity to a scandal-ridden county government in Ohio's most populous county.
FitzGerald must fend off critics who seek to use his designation as Public Official 14 in a corruption probe to tarnish his tough-on-crime message. He was never a target and was not charged.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is about to have a 2014 challenger.
Democrat Ed FitzGerald, the Cuyahoga County executive, is expected Wednesday to formalize his campaign for governor against the Republican incumbent.
FitzGerald has scheduled announcements in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.
The 44-year-old former FBI agent and Lakewood mayor promotes his role as a reformer who helped restore integrity after the commissioner form of government in Ohio's most populous county was plagued with scandal.
To make his case, FitzGerald must fend off critics who seek to use his designation as Public Official 14 in the government's corruption probe to tarnish his tough-on-crime message. Republicans have launched a website using the moniker.
FitzGerald's name surfaced only marginally in the investigation. He was never a target and was not charged.