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Dark Money Website Revives Allegations Against Brown

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“A new political website has sprung up, appropriating the ‘Me Too’ movement to attack Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) over allegations stemming from his 1986 divorce,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

“The website… includes a 60-second video that references court records from Brown’s divorce with his then-wife, Larke Recchie, as well as excerpts from the records themselves. The ugly divorce, which included allegations that Brown ‘bullied’ and shoved Recchie, has come up in many of Brown’s campaigns, including his 1992 race for Congress and his 2012 re-election campaign to the U.S. Senate. Recchie is now a political supporter of Brown’s and has described ‘angry words’ that surrounded their divorce.”

Cordray Leads for Ohio Governor

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A new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio finds Richard Cordray (D) leading Mike DeWine (R) in the governor’s race, 42% to 40%.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “The closeness between Cordray and DeWine should not be surprising, since this race for governor is a re-run of the race between the two men in 2010 for the attorney general’s job that DeWine won by one percentage point. Now, Cordray and DeWine split the key independent vote and get roughly the same share of their party bases.”

In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) leads Jim Renacci (R), 51% to 34%.


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Lingering Resentment from Last Week’s GOP Primaries

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While Republicans managed to sideline a few of the more extreme candidates in last week’s Republican primaries, the wounds have not full healed.

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Most of Renacci’s War Chest Came From Himself

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Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Earlier this week, Rep. Jim Renacci’s (R-OH) U.S. Senate campaign announced he and his allies had raised slightly more than $4.5 million since he jumped in the race in January.”

“As it turns out, $4 million of that was Renacci’s own money, according to a newly available federal campaign finance filing.”

Renacci Didn’t Report $50K In Donations

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Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) “failed to disclose nearly $50,000 in political contributions while registered as a Washington lobbyist starting in the late 2000s,” the AP reports.

“Renacci is Republicans’ favored candidate to win a GOP primary and take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall in one of the year’s most closely watched Senate contests.”

NBC News: “Well, this isn’t the kind of headline Republicans probably want to deal with as they head into a challenge to a potentially vulnerable Democratic Senate incumbent.”

Brown Holds Double-Digit Lead In Ohio

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A new SurveyUSA poll in Ohio finds Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) leading possible challenger Jim Renacci (R) by 14 points, 52% to 38%.

In the gubernatorial race, Richard Cordray (D) and Dennis Kucinich (D) are tied in the primary battle to oppose presumptive GOP nominee Mike DeWine (R). In general election match ups, DeWine leads Cordray, 47% to 39%, and tops Kucinich 51% to 38%.

GOP Tries to Recruit Author J.D. Vance for Senate

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“Some Republican activists and donors worried about the prospects of their party’s Senate candidate in Ohio are kicking around an outside-the-box alternative: Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance,” BuzzFeed News reports.

“The recruiting overtures reflect unease with the early GOP frontrunner, state Treasurer Josh Mandel, who is seeking a rematch with Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.”

Democrats Pull Back In Ohio Senate Race

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“The Democratic Party’s national Senate campaign arm has canceled more than a week of television ads that were set to run next month in the key battleground of Ohio, where former governor Ted Strickland (D) has struggled to gain traction against incumbent Sen. Rob Portman (R),” the Washington Post reports.

“The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had reserved advertising time on Ohio TV stations starting Sept. 13. Now, according to political ad trackers in both parties, the national Democrats won’t launch that campaign until Sept. 22.”

Strickland Apologizes for Scalia Remarks

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Former Ohio Gov. and Senate hopeful Ted Strickland (D) apologized for saying that Justice Antonin Scalia’s death “happened at a good time,” since it came just before the Supreme Court ruled on a case that could have been a blow to unions, Morning Consult reports.

Said Strickland: “I mean, the death of Scalia saved labor from a terrible decision. And I don’t wish anyone ill, but it happened at a good time because once that decision had been made, it would have been tough to reverse it.”

Portman Comes Out Against Trade Deal

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Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a former U.S trade ambassador, announced that he “opposes a sweeping 12-nation Pacific Rim trade agreement, dealing a setback to a deal that is seen as a key part of President Obama’s economic legacy,” the Washington Post reports.

“The Ohio Republican is facing a difficult re-election campaign against Ted Strickland, an anti-trade former Democratic governor, in a state that has seen a steep decline in manufacturing as a result of companies moving operations overseas. The announcement is a significant but not fatal blow to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which is protected by fast-track rules that ensure it cannot be filibustered in the Senate.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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