by on 05.19.2009
Columbus Dispatch, May 19, 2009 - Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who is running for the U.S. Senate next year, joined Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown yesterday in calling on General Motors to reconsider plans to produce cars in China, Mexico and South Korea for import to the United States. Brunner also questioned the economic rationale that GM used to decide which of its dealerships will remain open.
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by on 05.18.2009
Buckeye State Blog, May 18, 2009 - Secretary of State/'10 Democratic candidate Jennifer Brunner on the issue [i.e., GM's plans to close domestic plants and import cars from China, South Korea, and Mexico] (no link because it was received in the ol' e-bag.): When America’s taxpayers are footing the bill to the tune of billions to keep these car giants afloat, they deserve to know how and why the money is being spent. While cuts may be inevitable in the process, decisions to manufacture cars overseas and sell them in the U.S., while cutting jobs at dealerships who sell them, may be just short of ludicrous to American taxpayers,” Brunner said. “GM should be using stimulus money to invest in fuel efficient car manufacturing here in the U.S. to create new jobs for American workers and meet one of the stimulus goals of greater energy independence. And both GM and Chrysler should be disclosing to the American public why certain dealerships are closing and more jobs are being lost,” said Brunner.
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by on 05.17.2009
By Jessica Wehrmann, Dayton Daily News, May 17, 2009 - Jennifer Brunner says she’s in the U.S. Senate race for the long haul. She’s not running for the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. And she’s not running for re-election to her current job as Ohio Secretary of State. Instead, as Brunner made clear in a memo to party activists this week, she will continue her bid against Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the Senate primary to replace U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who will retire at the end of his term in 2010. “She’s gaining momentum,” said Pia Brady, Brunner’s press secretary, who cites endorsements from unions and other Democratic groups as evidence. “She’s in this race and she’s not running for anything else.”
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by on 05.16.2009
FireDogLake, May 16, 2009 - There hasn't been much of a spotlight focused on the Ohio Senate primary (May, 2010), except in Ohio-- at least not yet. The Republicans have all but picked their candidate for the open seat, ex-lobbyist (for Oman and Haitian dictator Baby Doc Duvalier) and pre-Mean Jean Schmidt Congressman Rob Portman who went on to serve as Bush's Trade Representative and then his director of OMB, two jobs at which he failed spectacularly, particularly for Ohio working families.
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by on 05.08.2009
MOMocrats BLOG, May 8, 2009 - Intro: I don't live in Ohio so I didn't know Jennifer Brunner until her campaign manager contacted me. At MOMocrats, we're always interested in progressive women candidates---especially moms---so I did a little due diligence digging before replying. A reformer, I found, a straight shooter, appears to be quite intelligent, and judicious in her approach to issues. Not surprising, since she used to be a judge. I was intrigued, and I replied.
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by on 05.08.2009
Ohio Daily Blog, May 8, 2009 - With Mothers' Day coming up this Sunday, Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner took the time to write a nice piece for the blog Momocrats: Raising the Next Generation of Blue. In it, she reflects on the obstacles way too many women face in getting the prenatal and delivery care they need to deliver health babies and stay healthy themselves. She gives some examples from her own life to make the issue more immediate — I was certainly shocked to learn that her oldest daughter weighed in at 10 lb, 4 oz! This may not be THE hot issue right now (although the discussion over health-care access certainly includes it), but we should should stockpile this column as ammo. If she turns out to be our Senate candidate, it could prove useful when Rob Portman starts talking about "values" and being "pro-life," to remind voters that being pro-life means a lot more than being against abortion.
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by on 05.07.2009
By Jason Rosenbaum, DSCC Blog, May 7, 2009 - A new Quinnipiac poll released today shows both Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Ohio are leading the GOP front-runner Rob Portman by healthy margins. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher leads Portman 42 to 31 percent, while Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner leads Portman 40 to 32 percent.
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by on 05.04.2009
By Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call, May 4, 2009 - Senate primaries in three states already look like classic battles featuring insurgent candidates preparing to take on the preferred choice of “the establishment.” But each contest has its own particular features, and the three races may not produce identical outcomes.
Two of the contests are in Ohio. In the Democratic race, the party
establishment has fallen behind Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who faces
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and a number of lesser-known
candidates in a potentially heated primary. On the GOP side, former
Rep. Rob Portman begins with a prohibitive advantage over wealthy
businessman Tom Ganley.
Fisher, 57, served in both houses of the state Legislature and as Ohio’s attorney general before being elected lieutenant governor in 2006 on a ticket led by now-Gov. Ted Strickland (D). Strickland quickly endorsed Fisher’s bid for the Senate, and allies of the governor made it clear that Brunner should seek re-election rather than challenge Fisher for the Senate nomination. But the secretary of state has other ideas.
Brunner, 52, worked in the Ohio secretary of state’s office — under now-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) — before going into private practice. Later, she served for four years as a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge, and in 2006, she was elected Ohio’s secretary of state. Unlike Fisher, she has never lost an election.
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by on 05.03.2009
Douglas Gibson Jr, writing on Gay Rights at Change.org, May 3, 2009 - There are few times in our lives when we have the chance to truly change the face of power. I am privileged to write to you today and ask you to join me in one of the most exciting challenges I have had the honor to be a part of. Exactly one year from today Ohioans have a chance to change the face of power. In 365 days, Ohioans can make sure they send to Washington a new face of power who offers a real vision of hope and opportunity for them and all Americans. In 365 days, Ohioans can change the face of power with a strong new leader who will stand up for them, demonstrating that hard work, integrity, responsibility, and common sense really do matter here and in Washington. In 365 days, Ohioans can change the face of power with a leader who knows how to solve tough problems and get things done, who has protected their rights, because she knows that government is for people like you, who work hard, take care of their loved ones and try to do what's right.
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by on 05.01.2009
Canton Repository, May 1, 2009 - Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat, urged women to remain active in politics as she spoke Friday at the Federated Democratic Women of Ohio’s spring convention here. Brunner recalled the lawsuit challenges she confronted in 2008 as Republicans challenged her efforts to implement policies allowing people to cast absentee votes immediately after registering. Her hope is that if voters elect her to the U.S. Senate in 2010, state voters likewise will choose another woman to be the new Ohio secretary of state. Brunner is seeking to replace retiring Sen. George Voinovich. Before holding statewide office, Brunner was a judge in Franklin County. There are three primary reasons women traditionally did not seek public office, according to Brunner. “First, they are worried about family obligations,” she said. “Second, they think they are not qualified. Third, no one asked them to do it.”
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by on 05.01.2009
Lima Ohio News, May 1, 2009 - President Barack Obama's first days are like Franklin Roosevelt's early time in office, laying groundwork for significant change in the country's social and economic culture, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said Thursday. Brunner spoke to Allen County Democrats celebrating Obama's first 100 days in office. Obama will use current economic conditions to transform health care, education, green manufacturing and alternative energy, Brunner said. The country has seen changes in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, children's health care, stem-cell research funding, wilderness land protections, relationships with other countries and the approach to Cuba, Brunner said. "That's the resting heartbeat of the White House and he's not slowing down," Brunner said. Brunner will run next year for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. George Voinovich. She faces a primary with Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. The race is in its infancy, but Allen County Democratic Party Chairman Rick Siferd offered a public endorsement of Brunner, saying he preferred her to Fisher as the party's candidate for the seat. "My personal preference is for Jennifer Brunner," Siferd said. "She will make a great senator."
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