I would like to know how Strickland is actually seen as dull; or why people do not know him. Has he recently come into the race? What's his background that he's an unknown candidate. I didn't get the answer to that question while reading this article.

Secondly I do not think that this is an

untraditional Democratic message:

"In the Old Testament book of Micah, we are asked this question: 'What then is required of us?' And the answer: 'To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God.'

I realize that people are pratically obsessed with polls in today's elections, but I find it hard to believe that almost 70% of Ohio proclaim to not know who Strickland is. I grew up in Ohio and currently live in Ohio and i've known who he is for about eight years and i'm in my early twenties. Here's why: Strickland used to be the Representative in the House for my district until the districts were redrawn after the 2000 census. The truth is that 1/4 of Ohio know who he is because he probably was their representative at one point and probably another 1/4 know who he is because of his current run for governor. I find it hard to believe that he's winning the race in one poll by twenty percentage points and then in another poll 70% of Ohio don't know who he is; how that adds up, i'll never know.

I'll end with this little ray of hope in terms of his chances of winning the Governor's race: the district I lived in and the old district he represented is about as hardcore Republican as they come, but Strickland managed to win easily almost every time. After they redrew the districts they gave him a new district that was also primirily Republican. He won again and again and he won fairly easily. Strickland has always been well-liked among Repubs and Dems and that is why he will be the next Governor of Ohio.

I don't think the Salon writer asked enough people in Ohio about Ted Strickland. I went to Ohio University from 1994-96, and he was running for representative at that time against Frank Cremeans, I think. I'm terrible at remembering names to be honest. I do remember, though, that Frank was the epitome of the Gingrich revolution, the contract on America. He was a conservative, a far right preacher, who spewed RNC talking-points and promoted outsourcing jobs from Southeastern Ohio even before it became fashionable. Strickland was pro-gun, interested in bringing jobs to the traditionally depressed area, and most poignant to me, willing to sit and talk with a displaced Californian who had some questions about how things were done out in Athens.

Ted led the close race, but ultimately lost because Cremeans threw some incredibly nasty attack advertisements on the air at the last moment.

But the Ted Strickland who lost in the mid 1990s is a far cry from the one running today. He returned to win that district, and to win again and again as the boundary lines in it were redrawn in favor of Republicans who just didn't appeal to voters as well as Ted, an earnest, middle-of-the-road thinker who actually represented things voters wanted represented.

I think Ted has a real shot, Diebold willing, and that when he wins, he'll be good for Ohio and good for America. Sorry for sounding like a Strickland campaign advertisement, but after all these years, I still remember who Ted is. I think most Ohioans know him as well.

I grew up and went to school in Strickland's Ohio district, a district which was originally drawn to elect a Republican after the 1990 redistricting. Suprisingly, Ted won in this new district in 1992. Though he lost his seat in the 1994 Contract With America sweep to Republican Frank Cremeans, he came back in 1996 and has had decisive victories since then, which is testament to his political abilities in a conservative district.

Though he may not be well-known in northern Ohio, I have seen him at events in his rural district, where he is very popular and well-known. His religious credentials, his refusal to let the right hold Christianity hostage, and his appeal to moderates make him an ideal candidate for Ohio (a state that is, I must admit, a little boring itself!).

I am nearly dumbstruck with the idea of the man who ran such a terrible (criminal) voter count in the national elections is being allowed to oversee the election in which he is the candiate. If Blackwell won't step aside out of a sense of ethics and to avoid the appearance--at a minimum--of a conflict of interest, why isn't the Ohio Democratic Party suing to remove him from having any responsibility in the current election?

I have to agree that I really don't know too much about him. Put me in the pool of people who are just sick of Taft. The Ohio voters who seem to think that we all know him seem to be from Southern Ohio. Spend some time in the Cleveland area. (To be honest, I heard more about Petro. His supporters were getting the word out and I wasn't even receptive to their message.) I read Salon every day. I read weekly news magazines. And I read the Plain Dealer on Sundays and at least one or two other days of the week. Blackwell is always in the news--mostly for all the crap he's done as Secretary of State. I'm not hiding under a rock. But Strickland...before I saw the picture that accompaninied the Salon article, I couldn't even tell you what he looked like. The Democratic party still needs to get their message out. I think a good moderate canditate could have wiped him out. If/When Strickland wins, we owe a big debt to the Republicans for picking such a polarizing candidate.

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1559: "Has American Democracy died an electronic death in Ohio 2005's referenda defeats?"

During a referendum election in the state of Ohio in 2005 the Columbus Dispatch published a poll of 5 items. The paper has had a historical record of coming within 1% of the correct votes in its polls. This election, it got one of the items within its historical record but missed badly on 4 of the items. On one referendum item it was off by an amazing 30%. Read the above-referenced article to find out the details.

What if Mr. Blackwell and the Republican running for Attorney General are polling well behind before the election but pull out an astonishing victory in this instance? Miracles have happened before in this land of Diebold. Who is to say that they won’t happen again.