A replacement for Dann II: Widen the field

With Wednesday’s resignation of Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, pundits statewide are busy speculating on which Democrat is most likely to be chosen by Gov. Ted Strickland to replace Dann. As David Wells says below, Subodh Chandra would be an excellent choice. He was an impressive candidate when he ran against Dann in the 2006 primary. But the party backed Dann -- an awful lapse in judgment, obvious even at the time -- and Chandra didn't have a prayer.

But I’d like to look at the underlying assumption here: Why does it necessarily have to be a Democrat? Strickland should at least look at all the most qualified possibilities, regardless of party, to make sure Ohioans get the best possible person in that office. And if that happens to be a Republican, the governor’s bold, unconventional gesture could even help Democrats this fall by burnishing their clean-government, fair-play image. I know that’s impossibly naïve – that no party in its right mind would give up control of such a powerful office. But it can’t hurt to at least ask the question.

As for the issue of violating the voters’ mandate: If Ohioans had had even a sliver of an inkling about Dann in 2006, it’s a safe bet that Republican Betty Montgomery would have won, despite the Democratic landslide. In fact, maybe Strickland should consider Montgomery, the state's first and only female AG, if she’s willing to give the office another go. Montgomery won more votes than any statewide candidate every time she ran except in 2006, when she lost to Dann – and even then, she was the top GOP statewide vote-getter. She says she wouldn't run for AG this fall, but if Strickland were to appoint her now, who knows?

And if folks like Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune are being mentioned, why not, say, state Sen. Bill Seitz? If you’re talking party strategy, Strickland could do worse than to remove a GOP incumbent from the legislature during an election year in which control of both houses may be up for grabs. Or why not U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Columbus, who may run for the post this fall anyway?

The one thing Strickland should not do is, as is widely rumored, move Treasurer Richard Cordray over to AG. The people elected Cordray to be treasurer. We didn’t like it when Republicans played musical chairs with the statewide offices. Why should it be more acceptable when Democrats do it?