State Candidates for Ohio

In addition to the high-stakes governor and senate races at the voting booth this year, there are a variety of other important elections happening in Ohio. Below The Lantern has tried to identify some of the more important races.

Tune in this week to hear The Lantern editorial board talk with the chairman of the College Republicans.

Attorney General Betty Montgomery Republican Age 58 Experience Warren County prosecutor, 1981-1988; State Senator, 1989-1994; Attorney General, 1995-2002; State Auditor, 2003-present Education Bachelor's degree, Bowling Green State University; Law degree, University of Toledo Family single Tag line "Rock solid integrity...for a change." Platform Montgomery believes the attorney general's most important job is as chief law enforcement officer, imposing tough penalties on lawbreakers. She does not believe in scrutinizing all legislation, and wants the attorney general's office to cooperate with lawmakers and agencies. She helped write Ohio's partial-birth abortion ban.

Marc Dann Democrat Age 44 Experience State Senator 1993-present Education Bachelor's degree, University of Michigan; Law degree, Case Western Reserve University Family married, three children Tag line "Returning Trust to Ohio" Platform Dann intends to fight corruption in the state government. He believes the attorney general's job is to oversee the actions of state officials, including analyzing every piece of legislation for constitutionality.

Secretary of State Greg Hartmann Republican Age 39 Experience Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, 2002-present Education Bachelor's degree, Washington and Lee University; Law degree, Pepperdine School of Law Family married, five children Platform Hartmann believes the office of secretary of state should be impartial in elections. He sees voter fraud, however, as a more relevant problem in the state of Ohio than voter suppression. He proposes to create a director of voting machine examiners who makes sure there are enough functioning machines across the state. He also wants to audit 10 percent of votes in large counties, and less in small ones, to check for accurate results.

Jennifer Brunner Democrat Age 49 Experience Franklin County Common Pleas judge, 2000-2005 Education Bachelor's degree, Miami University; Law degree, Capital University Family married, three children Platform Brunner believes Ken Blackwell used the secretary of state's office for political purposes, and pledges to stay impartial in elections if elected. She proposes uniform voting guidelines in every Ohio county, and believes that voter suppression is a bigger problem than voter fraud in Ohio. She was endorsed by The Columbus Dispatch.

State Auditor Mary Taylor Republican Age 40 Experience Green City Council, 2001-2002; State representative, 2002-present Education Bachelor's degree and master's degree, University of Akron Family married, two children Tag line "Experience we need. Values we trust." Platform Mary Taylor, a certified public accountant, is campaigning on the idea that it is time a C.P.A. be elected to the state auditor's office. She says she believes in low taxes and responsible spending. She proposes having internal auditors of government agencies report to a new outside administration and an independent board of auditors. She was endorsed by The Columbus Dispatch.

Barbara Sykes Democrat Age 51 Experience Akron City Council, 1983-1989; Deputy Auditor of Administration, Summit County, 1989-2000; State representative, 2000-present Education Bachelor's degree and master's degree, University of Akron Family married, two children Platform Sykes says she will make sure the state no longer mismanages funds as in the Coingate scandal. She says she will identify problems early, ensure transparency in government action and root out fraud, waste and abuse. She also proposes that private firms who conduct audits of public agencies make their audits a public record.

State Treasurer Sandy O'Brien Republican Age 54 Experience Ashtabula county auditor, 1994-present Education Bachelor's degree, Bowling Green State University; Master's degree, Edinboro University Family married, four children Platform O'Brien told The Columbus Dispatch she provides "someone who represents mid-Ohio values." She proposes starting a money-management curriculum to help students budget, save and set goals. She also wants to survey Ohio's 3,500 public-fund managers to show them how to meet their financial objectives. She has also served as a teacher and faculty at Lakeland Community College.

Richard Cordray Democrat Age 47 Experience State representative, 1991-1993; State solicitor, 1993-1994 Education Bachelor's degree, Michigan State University; Master's degree, Oxford University; Law degree, University of Chicago Family married, two children Platform Cordray, who says he was a five-time champion on Jeopardy, proposes better checks and balances on public funds, an inventory of state real-estate holdings, leveraging economic development and wants to invest the money currently in the state's Unclaimed Funds. He also has served as an adjunct professor of law at Ohio State.

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