Now that the dust has settled a bit and it looks like most things are locked down lets see how well my votes squared with the rest of Ohio.

(note even at this late date the election reports are not “official” so these numbers might shift around a bit in the future but the margins are so big that it should not matter in respect to the result)
Governor/Lieutenant Governor

My Pick: Robert Fitrakis and Anita Rios (3rd party)
Winner: Ted Strickland (Dem) with 60.36% of the vote

Explanation: I couldn’t get behind either of the two major party candidates, they were both too right wing for me. Fitrakis ran on a reform platform that I could get behind, with just over 1% of the vote I guess not many others felt the same way.

Attorney General

My Pick: Marc Dann (Dem)
Winner: Marc Dann (Dem) with 52.41% of the vote

Explanation: Dann ran a very negative and divisive campaign, but Betty Montgomery had views so opposed to my own that I had to vote for Dann. I see his victory more as a result of republicans bad behavior in the state rather than his own merits.

Auditor of state

My Pick: Barbara Sykes (Dem)
Winner: Mary Taylor (Republican) with 50.98% of the vote

Explanation: This one was a squeaker, Sykes had a better platform and I felt that Taylor was connected too strongly with the current bunch of yahoo’s posing as a state government, but the people have spoken.

Secretary of state

My Pick: Jennifer Brunner (Dem)
Winner: Jennifer Brunner (Dem) with 54.78% of the vote

Explanation: Brunner won by a good margin her nearest opponent only got 40.71% of the vote. I feel this was a direct reaction of the fiasco that was the 2004 election. People in Ohio were so upset with how the previous SOS handled things that they cleaned shop.

State Senator

My Pick: Sharrod Brown (Dem)
Winner: Sharrod Brown (Dem) with 55.88% of the vote

Explanation: Brown won for several reasons. He ran a better campaign, got a lot of money, and spoke to the issues better than Dewine. You might have also noted that Dewin was forced to issue a formal apology for multiple ethics violations.

State Representative 9th District

My Pick: Marcy Kaptur (Dem)
Winner: Marcy Kaptur (Dem) with 73.59% of the vote

Explanation: Kaptur has been around for a while and has been serving my district well for years. She shares my views and has spoken out against the failings of the Bush administration on more than one occasion.

And now for some other quick wrap ups.

Treasurer of state
My Pick: Richard Cordray (Dem)
Winner: Richard Cordray (Dem) with 57.59% of the vote

State Representative 46th District
My Pick: Mark Dansack (Dem)
Winner: Mark Wagoner (Rep) with 60.54% of the vote

Lucas county commissioner
My Pick: Ben Konop (Dem)
Winner: Ben Konop (Dem)

Lucas county Auditor
My Pick: Anita Lopez (Dem)
Winner: Anita Lopez (Dem)

Board of elections 2nd district
My Pick: John Bender (Dem)
Winner: John Bender (Dem) with 37.34% of the vote
Explanation: Bender was the ONLY candidate that accepts the theory of evolution, nuff said.

Issue Wrap Up

Issue: #2 Vote to raise the minimum wage
(read the ballot language here)
My pick: Yes
Result: Passed with 56.17% of the vote for yes.

Issue: #3 Gambling and college scholarships – Learn & Earn
(read the ballot language here)
My pick: Yes
Result: Failed with 56.87% of the vote for no.

Issue: #4 Restrict smoking places – Smoke Less
(read the ballot language here)
My pick: No
Result: Failed with 64.34% of the vote for no.

Issue: #5
(read the ballot language here)
My pick: Yes
Result: Passed with 58.28% of the vote for yes.

Final Thoughts

It seems that for the most part the rest of the people of Ohio held views similar to my own. They wanted a higher minimum wage, wanted to ban smoking, and were sick of Republican screw-ups.