A few election postmortems

Judge Rocky Coss may have already known how the Lone Ranger feels. (Or, at least like Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes has often felt.)

Judge Coss didn't get any more party company after Tuesday's general election, either.

Republicans won or maintained all contested county races on Nov. 6, proving again the old adage repeated by Southern State Community College Professor Ken Shull two years ago on the somber occasion of the life celebration of fellow professor Bill Horne: "Let's hope a Democrat can get elected in Heaven, because he sure as hell can't get elected in Highland County."

Give the victors their due. They worked hard and earned voters' support.

By and large, the races were aboveboard. There were the not untypical political sign capers and there was one set of challenges brought to the Elections Commission's attention in the county prosecutor's race. The OEC found no instances of wrongdoing and quickly settled the matter.

As it turned out, Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins proved one of the evening's biggest winners. Collins collected 68 percent of the votes in a 10,609-5,086 victory over Independent Kimberly McGuire-Haines.

This was Collins' first election win, as she was appointed prosecutor by the Highland County Republican Party Central Committee on June 15, 2011 after former prosecutor Jim Grandey retired from the office last year. She has served the office admirably since 2006 and will continue to do so.

Surpassing Collins' 68 percent win was fellow Republican Chad McConnaughey in the Highland County recorder's race. McConnaughey garnered 71 percent of the vote in a 10,801 to 4,537 win over Independent candidate Larry Burns Jr.

In the closely watched races for county commissioner, both incumbent Republicans held off challenges by their respective Democratic opponents.

Commission President Shane Wilkin topped the 10,000-vote plateau, defeating Greenfield council member Brenda Losey, 10,435-5,783.

Commissioner Tom Horst defeated Paint Township Trustee Randy Mustard by an unofficial vote of 9,329-7,148.

In the county treasurer's race, incumbent Republican Vickie L. Warnock received 10,109 votes to Gary Heaton's 6,252.

Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward was the most popular countywide candidate, receiving a well-deserved 13,217 complimentary votes Tuesday.

In spite of the local GOP's prowess, and in spite of the state of Ohio's penchant for Republican majorities in the House, Senate, Supreme Court, county commissions and the Governor's Office, it wasn't all roses for the Grand Old Party this year.

The one campaign that Ohio Republicans didn't support in droves was that of POTUS. The President of the United States race was all about Democratic incumbent Barack Obama.

Just out of curiosity, last week I asked a current member of Congress about this perceived political phenomenon. The congressman offered that while Ohio is a conservative state, it's also a strong union state. He also suggested that Obama's team simply outmaneuvered the Romney campaign, particularly early on. Could be.

Another factor could be that under Gov. John Kasich's leadership, Ohio has been in recovery mode, economically. Whether that credit goes to Kasich or Obama depends mostly on whether the question is asked north or south of Columbus. The Buckeye State remains a mixed political bag based on which side of Interstate 70 one happens to vote.

In a story posted at 3 a.m. Wednesday from Columbus, Kevin D. Williamson of National Review Online (www.nationalreview.com) offered these observations:

"Repealing Obamacare was not a deal cincher in Ohio. A number of people I spoke to in the state suggested that the Romney-Ryan ticket paid too much attention to repealing Obamacare without spelling out an alternative that was sufficiently simple and attractive to voters who are not committed conservatives. One veteran of the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations argued that while Ohio voters may not be crazy about the Affordable Care Act, neither are they burning partisans of the campaign to repeal it. …

"The lessons of Ohio are that Barack Obama is a skillful demagogue, that the ancients were wise to number envy among the deadly sins, and that offering Americans a check is a more fruitful political strategy than offering them the opportunity to take control of and responsibility for their own lives. This is what Oakeshott had in mind when he wrote that liberty was something that many people simply are not equipped to 'enjoy as an opportunity rather than suffer as a burden.'"

To put it in the terms of Hillary Clinton when her husband was campaigning for governor in Arkansas, the road to re-election is made easier when more people become dependent on government.

"You can’t use tax cuts to buy off people who are net recipients of tax transfers," Williamson said. "Figuring out what (Republicans) can offer that is consistent with (its) principles is the task of conservatives between now and the next election."

That's likely a good start. Another is finding a way to reach urban voters.

While rural voters overwhelmingly supported Romney (take a look at the red/blue maps and check the disparity in the U.S. land mass victory), it's obvious that Republican presidential candidates have a long way to go in the nation's cities. It could be a long time in changing that, too.

As it always does, time will tell.

One last note, shortly before midnight, Commission President Shane Wilkin spoke with HCP sports editor Stephen Forsha. I think the commissioner's comment following the election are worth repeating:

"When public puts trust in you, it's a humbling time. I'm grateful for the support and the vote of confidence. Congratulations to everyone who threw their hat in the ring. It's much more than meets the eye."

Public service ought to have somewhat of a humbling impact. After all, it does indicate that a majority of your fellow citizens have put their faith in you. That, in itself, is rather humbling. And certainly all those who put in the time and effort for a grueling campaign are to be commended. Thank you.

This year's candidates – be they Independents, Democrats or Republicans – offer one more reminder of why southern Ohio is a great place to live and work. And one final word of thanks goes to all those hard-working officials at the Highland County Board of Elections. We always appreciate your assistance and patience.

Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.