UPDATE: August 2016 - As projected in our original article below, former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland did win the Democratic primary for the US Senate and will face Republican incumbent Rob Portman in this fall's general election. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Senator Portman and his big-money out-of-state supporters have been flooding the airwaves with distortions about Ted's performance as Governor.

To set the record straight, Ted's term as Governor coincided with George W. Bush's "Great Recession", the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930's . But the way the Portman backers tell it, you'd think Ted was the one responsible for the economic meltdown, rather than the GOP! They also conveniently forget to tell you that Senator Portman has consistently supported free trade agreements and was President Bush's Budget Director leading up to the crash.

Fortunately, we know that Ohio voters aren't so naïve as to blame Governor Strickland for the GOP's economic failures. And we also know that Ohio voters are smart enough to recognize it was the Democrats' economic stimulus programs (supported by Governor Strickland) that have given us the longest economic recovery in our nation's history.

But it doesn't hurt to remind some folks of these facts every so often.

(Strickland image from wiki.org)

March 2016 - Ted Strickland is a former Congressman and Governor from the state of Ohio. As of this writing, he is the favorite to win the 2016 Democratic nomination for the US Senate.

Governor Strickland grew up in rural Scioto County, one of nine children in a strong working class family. His father was a steelworker and Ted was the first member of his family to attend college, eventually receiving a PhD in counseling psychology. He also is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

Unlike many of our Republican friends who try to appeal to workers by supporting gun rights but then, once elected, consistently vote for the economic interests of the well-off, Ted supports gun rights and the economic interests of everyone, particularly the middle class and the working class, i.e., those Americans who are the backbone of the US economy.

This philosophy and Governor Strickland's approach to public policy were evident during his tenure as Governor, which was marked by repeated successes:

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council rated Ohio's business climate 11th best in the nation and #1 in the Midwest, up from 27th and 7th when Ted took office

He expanded healthcare coverage in the state to include additional children and expectant mothers, and reduced price discrimination for pre-existing conditions

As Governor, Ted signed legislation in 2008 which restored the presumption of innocence to homeowners acting in self-defense (the so-called castle doctrine), and expanded state acreage allowed for game hunting

He was a strong advocate for expanded use of alternative energies within the state. This was reflected in many areas, including his spending on primary education, which provided funding for 250 "green" schools. By the time he left office, Ohio was the nation's second leading solar manufacturer.

Speaking of schools, the Governor's public school educational reforms saw the state move from 27th to 5th best in the nation, while tuition increases at public universities were the lowest in the country

Recognizing that a strong infrastructure is critical to sustaining and growing an economy, Ted also pushed for new infrastructure initiatives and for the acceleration of infrastructure improvements

(Strickland image from wiki.org)

After leaving office in 2010, Governor Strickland maintained his interest in public policy and in the rights of working men and women. In 2011, when Republican Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 5, which was intended to curtail the collective bargaining rights of Ohio public employees, Strickland was one of the leaders of the movement to repeal the measure via public referendum. After gaining over two million signatures, the petition to repeal was put on the ballot and then was successfully passed by Ohio's Citizens with over 60% of the statewide vote.

For those of you that live in the Buckeye State, 2016 gives you another opportunity to elect Ted Strickland to public office, this time to the United States Senate, and we encourage you to do so. Please visit www.tedstrickland.com for additional information on Governor Strickland and for ways you can help him in this year's campaign.

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