Tony Perkins also reports in today’s Washington Update (see earlier post) about rising conservative star Ken Blackwell, who is the leading Republican candidate in the race for governor next year. Here’s what Perkins had to report:
Ken Blackwell, who is black, is a Christian who is not afraid to proclaim his faith publicly. And he's a solid conservative, too. So, what does the national Republican Party do? My friend Paul Weyrich reports that they actually recruited a candidate to run against Blackwell. If Ken Blackwell had not so scrupulously followed the election laws in 2004, there might not even be a second Bush term. Is this the thanks he gets? Paul says: "Many Ohio GOP leaders evidently would rather control the wreckage than have the independent-minded conservative Ken Blackwell as governor."
My colleague, John Gizzi, recently wrote about Blackwell and his two Republican opponents—a story I encourage you to read because it tells a lot about Ohio politics and how Blackwell has used the scandal-plagued Republican Party there to his advantage. (Blackwell has taken a hard line against corruption.)
Blackwell’s also done an impressive job raising money (kudos to Washington, D.C., political consultant Erin DeLullo for help in that area). He has a solid chance of winning next year’s GOP primary, but it appears he might have critics from across the political spectrum coming after him.
Just a couple days ago, I noted on this blog how left-wing columnist Brad Friedman was accusing him of tampering with voting machines to help defeat four liberal-backed propositions on Ohio’s ballot last week. It would be a shame if Republicans started hammering away at him, too. Although, given the state of the Ohio GOP, anything's possible.
