Hometown Handicapping

So my hometown Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum has been, starting last week, throwing around the considerable weight of their election endorsements. Since that is my home territory, I will probably be throwing out my picks by week's end, as well as who I like in the district I actually vote in, while at school. And just so no one is surprised when it happens, I will not be endorsing in the 15th Congressional District, because I don't like any of the candidates (more on this later).
Anyhow, back we go to the T-F (now with extra grammar and spelling errors!). Today, they are endorsing Senator Mike DeWine in his re-election bid. Here are a couple of highlights from their endorsement:
"Their differences are almost as sharp as night and day, especially on trade, the Patriot Act, tax policy, Medicare prescription drug coverage and virtually every other key issue of the day."
"He is a proven, capable senator willing to stick his neck out to get critical tasks done."
In the race for Attorney-General, former Attorney-General (and current Auditor of State) Betty Montgomery is pitted against current State Senator Marc "Is the camera getting this?" Dann. I will editorialize more later in the week and elaborate on this race, but I really am not a fan of Dann. The T-F is not either, and they are going to back Betty:
"If there's one slam dunk race in Ohio this year, it's clearly the race for attorney general between veteran Republican Betty Montgomery and upstart Democrat Marc Dann."
"Montgomery's qualifications far surpass Dann's, and she understands work needs to be done to fix mistakes...he's [Dann] done nothing to show he's capable of transforming himself from a critic to a leader and manager of one of Ohio's most complex and important offices. Even worse, he's been publicly reprimanded by the Ohio Supreme Court for mishandling a client's case, a distinction that seems improper for Ohio's top attorney."
In the two Ohio Supreme Court spots on the ballot next week, incumbent Justice Terrence O'Donnell (R) is again facing Democrat William O'Neill, and Judge Bob Cupp (R) faces Ben Espy (D). The T-F is endorsing O'Donnell for re-election and Ben Espy for election to the high court, and here are the highlights:

O'Donnell vs. O'Neill:
"O'Donnell's approach to the law largely mirrors Cupp, and has proven to be on the wise side of many decisions, including the rejection of imminent domain solely for economic development purposes. He's helped improve the court's performance in recent years."
"You may recall O'Neill got himself in trouble two years ago when he openly stated his positions on a few key issues...it's still clear he's running with an agenda. That's just not appropriate for this race."

Cupp vs. Espy:
"Cupp thinks the court should avoid making new laws, especially when they can have a negative impact on the state's economy. Cupp has a slight edge based on his current appellate court experience..."
"Espy would preserve Resnick's voice of dissent when needed. It is important to have all perspectives represented on the state's highest court. Thus, we support Espy."

That was somewhat odd to me, because they agreed that Cupp was more qualified, (and in another part of the piece, that O'Donnell was a voice of reason) but endorsed Espy for the sake of having a Dem on the court. Less than a ringing endorsement, in my opinion.
Finally, (they will be endorsing in the other races later this week) the T-F has picked Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner over Republican Greg Hartmann. This one was mildly surprising to me, but here are the highlights of it:
"Hartmann, currently Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, has a bit more management experience. He likely would bring organization and efficiency to the job, both notable assets."
"We’ve had claims of election fraud and voters feeling disenfranchised the past two elections. While Brunner alone can not fix this problem, she certainly can create an atmosphere where voters believe with certainty that the process is free of corruption and political pandering. We think Brunner offers voters the better choice, due largely to her experience in the courts system and her pledge that this job is not a stepping stone."

A bit of my opinion here, before I follow with full analysis later this week. They picked a candidate with admittedly less management experience based on the sense that she will not use the office as a springboard or soapbox. That would be excusable, but Jennifer Brunner has already taken money from potential 2008 candidates for the Democratic nomination for President, and her experience in the courts should really bring no bearing on the Secretary of State's office. Greg Hartmann is not perfect, either, but I would not tout Brunner's judicial experience or impartiality as advantages, because they simply are not such. It will be interesting to see how the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum sits on the rest of the races; I will be sure to let you know how I feel about it!