Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald has launched his first television ad, three months after incumbent Republican John Kasich started airing ads statewide. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles reports.
The first statewide television ad from Ed FitzGerald takes a populist tone.
“I’m Ed FitzGerald and I think it’s time Ohio starts working for working people. As Governor, I’ll create jobs by helping businesses grow, restore cuts to firefighters, police and teachers. Let’s start supporting the middle class for a change, not just the wealthy few, because Ohio was meant for all of us.”
FitzGerald says the inspiration for his ad came from his interaction with Ohioans from around the state.
“ Basically what they tell us is they keep hearing from John Kasich that the economy is fantastic and it doesn’t feel fantastic to them. And they really feel like, when they look at the last four years, that the Governor’s priorities are not in the best interest of middle class families.”
FitzGerald says Ohioans complain to him that they feel Kasich unfairly has cut money for public education and local governments.
“The Governor is giving tax cuts away to millionaires and billionaires that are doing very, very well. And at the same, half of the state is living paycheck to paycheck. And at the same time, half of the state is living paycheck to paycheck. You’ve got, we are in the bottom half of the country in terms of job growth and recovery from the recession and it’s just not good enough for people. And to have a Governor that seems to, every time he gets a chance, is doing favors for big companies and the wealthiest people in the state, it infuriates people.”
That’s not the takeaway Chris Schrimpf of the Ohio Republican Party has when he sees FitzGerald’s new ad.
“Well I felt kind of like I was watching a Seinfeld episode. There was a lot of words and a lot of talking but at the end, it was about nothing. And that’s because Ed FitzGerald has no record or sound policy proposals for Ohio.”
On the same day that FitzGerald’s first ad starts on television stations, the Ohio Republican Party unveiled a new website that sounds as if it could belong to FitzGerald. It’s FitzGeraldforOhio.com. Ed FitzGerald’s website is EdFitzGeraldforOhio.com. Schrimpf says the party will post negative news stories and editorials about FitzGerald and his policies.
“We wanted to give voters a one stop shop that would show them Ed FitzGerald’s real record of incompetence and secrecy.”
The new website also contains video meant to embarrass the Cuyahoga County Executive, like the clip of when he lost his place while reading his State of the County speech earlier this year.
