Fingerhut Ends Campaign for Governor

St. Sen. Eric Fingerhut (D-Shaker Heights) has officially ended his bid for Ohio Governor in the Democratic Primary. Fingerhut was a second tier candidate for Governor to begin with when he entered the Democratic primary for Governor earlier this year, but as the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, Fingerhut's rival for Governor, US Rep. Ted Strickland's (D-Lisbon), choice of former Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher as his running mate for Lt. Governor struck a big blow to Fingerhut's fundraising base of the Jewish community in northeastern Ohio. Without that fundraising base solidly behind his candidacy, Fingerhut could not hope to raise the necessary funds to compete with Strickland in the Democratic Primary for Governor. In his announcement, Fingerhut endorsed Strickland-Fisher for Governor and pledged his support throught the campaign.

Commentary: With Strickland all but handed the nomination for Governor with this announcement, his $3 million campaign warchest can now be kept intact for the general election (Former St. Rep. Bryan Flannery is a non-entity, despite going to St. Ed's). This announcement and Fingerhut's realization that the fundraising support he had for his 2004 campaign for US Senate was not fully behind him with Lee Fisher in the mix illusrates the Strickland campaign's true motive in adding Fisher to the ticket. Rather than spending a hefty amount in defeating Fingerhut in what could have been a fairly contentious primary battle, Strickland & Co. swept the fundraising rug right from underneath Fingerhut.