Using unflattering images of Petro and Taft, the ads refer to the "Coingate" scandal involving former Maumee rare-coin dealer Thomas W. Noe, who was indicted last week on 53 felony counts of corruption and theft, and note that Taft last year was "guilty of ethics violations."
"Petro gave $129 million in unbid legal contracts and expected campaign kickbacks in return," says the TV ad, flashing newspaper articles. "He’s used the special counsel program as a fundraising ATM. His ethics are worse than Taft’s."
All in all, nothing but good news for us Democrats. I loves me a nasty republican primary, especially given the dynamics here.
What Ken Blackwell's extremely negative ads will do is force Jim Petro to respond in kind. I know, everyone says they hate negative ads, but they do work. There is a side effect though. They also suppress turnout, and that favors Blackwell. The higher the turnout, the more likely Petro will win, so if Petro responds with negative ads, he could possibly end up hurting his own chances.
This is all good news. I don't think Blackwell can win in the general election. Too many moderate republicans simply will not vote for him, especially as the cult of George Bush continues to wane here in Ohio. Bush currently has a 37% approval rating in Ohio.
A primary can be a good thing for a party if it's done right, this one isn't going to be, it will be fought in the gutter.
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