OHIO: Blackwell, Petro Spar in Social Issues Arena - Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage" Frame GOP Contest

From the Toledo Blade:

COLUMBUS - On the night of June 10, 1998, six candidates for statewide office gathered at a suburban Columbus home to mingle and give brief speeches to about 100 donors to the National Abortion Rights Action League of Ohio.

They included Lee Fisher, the Democratic candidate for governor, and Jim Petro, the Republican candidate for auditor.

"Clearly, the message of the evening is that choice is not a party issue,'' said Susannah Sagan, former executive director of the National Abortion Rights Action League of Ohio.

Two years later, Mr. Petro changed his position on abortion rights, moving from an advocate to an opponent after soul-searching and conversations with family members.

Critics, however, said Mr. Petro's new stance was aimed at winning a Republican primary for governor in 2006.

Ohio Right to Life's political action committee has endorsed both Mr. Petro and his opponent, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.

"Ultimately, the prize is in the general election,'' said Mark Lally, the group's legislative counsel.

With less than a week before the May 2 primary, Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Petro are battling over social issues - from abortion to same-sex marriage. And the rhetoric is growing harsher as they vie for the conservative voters who may be the dominant bloc at the polls.

The contest, some political observers say, is nothing less than a struggle for the soul of the Republican Party in Ohio.

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My Comments:


Ken Blackwell is the real deal.

I'm not buying establishment candidate Jim Petro's electorally convenient "conversion" on the issues of abortion and same-sex "marriage".