The only Democrat serving in statewide office, Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O'Neill, says he’ll spend this year deciding if he wants to run for governor next year. But he would have to quit that job if he does.
O’Neill says he’ll make a decision to run and leave office or not run and stay on the bench next January, or if Ohio’s former attorney general and current head of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau does sooner.
“If Richard Cordray is running, I’m not running because he’s the kind of quality candidate I want to see in the race. But more importantly, I want to see if the Ohio Democratic Party learned anything in 2016.”
O’Neill was sharply critical of the party’s endorsement of Ted Strickland for U.S. Senate before the primary, saying it proved fatal to his campaign. He says the party also needs talk about what he calls real issues for real people. Several Republicans and Democrats have already said they may be running for governor.