Ted Strickland - 2010 Gubernatorial Campaign

2010 Gubernatorial Campaign

Strickland sought reelection as governor in 2010. On January 19, 2010, he chose Yvette McGee Brown, a former juvenile court judge from central Ohio, as his running mate, running against John Kasich's running mate Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor. John Kasich's ties to Lehman Brothers played a role in the campaign. Strickland's running mate, Yvette McGee Brown, attempted to capitalize on Governor Strickland taking Ohio schools from somewhere outside the Top 25 best schools in the nation to number 5 in the nation, according to the news media. John Kasich accused Governor Strickland of raising taxes, while Governor Strickland declared the accusation is untrue. Governor Strickland and Yvette McGee Brown both spoke at President Barack Obama's rally in Columbus, Ohio shortly before the midterm elections, appearing with singer John Legend, Strickland's lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate candidate Lee Fisher, and former astronaut and U.S. Senator from Ohio John Glenn. The rally drew thousands of attendees, and parts of President Obama's speech were featured on MSNBC. The awaited results from Cuyahoga County for the gubernatorial election decided the winner of the governorship on November 2, 2010; Strickland was defeated by Republican John Kasich, and thus Yvette McGee Brown also lost that night, to Mary Taylor. In Strickland's concession speech, he mentioned he'd called Governor-elect John Kasich to ask if there was anything he could do to make the transition of power easier. Yvette McGee Brown, defeated Attorney General of Ohio Richard Cordray, and others appeared onstage with Strickland as he delivered his concession.