As Ohio Dem Gov Primary Goes Negative, Richard Cordray’s Worries Grow

The Democrat gubernatorial primary in Ohio continues to grow more heated as Washington D.C. Bureaucrat Richard Cordray goes negative on former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, whose campaign has gained momentum following his endorsement by the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution group. At a forum over the weekend, Cordray accused Kucinich of having “lost his way” for becoming a Fox News commentator.

The Columbus Dispatch reports:

“Richard Cordray, former director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a former Ohio attorney general, said Kucinich should speak for himself.

‘Not all of us have lost our way as Democrats on this stage,’ he said. ‘Not all of us became paid commentators for Fox News and praised President Trump’s inaugural address as a great speech…’”

This comes just days after Cordray’s campaign sent out a press release attacking Kucinich, accusing him of supporting President Trump. Cordray’s decision to go negative comes as polls show a tight race between him and Kucinich with most Democrat primary voters still undecided.

The Ohio press corps has taken notice of growing signs of panic from Cordray’s campaign, with the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Jeremy Pelzer noting that Team Cordray “is worried enough about Dennis that they feel they need to go negative against him.” And Lynn Hulsey of the Dayton Daily News called Kucinich’s entry “worrisome” for Cordray and his “quiet” campaign:

With Cordray’s worries growing over Kucinich’s campaign as he quickly goes negative, Ohio Democrats appear to be headed for a divisive brawl to decide their party’s gubernatorial candidate.