Ohio Democrats pick perennial candidate to lead state party
The former county commissioner hasn't held elected office since 2016.
Former Ohio Dems chair Liz Walters oversaw the party’s statewide elected offices plummet from four to one. She saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship to become CEO of Washington D.C.-based data firm ‘TargetSmart’. Ohio Democrats had a clear shot to turn things around, especially when State Sen. Bill DeMora, who has proven he can win elections, threw his hat in the ring. Yet, in a misstep only Republicans could hope for, the ODP Executive Committee chose the worst potential candidate.
Meet the new Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathleen Clyde, former county commissioner and state Representative. Despite having two elected offices to her name, she has not held one since 2020 and has not won an election since 2016. Let’s look through her electoral history.
2010 — Elected to State Representative (re-elected in 2012, 2014, and 2016).
2018 — Runs for Secretary of State, defeated in general election by current Secretary Frank LaRose
2018 — Appointed to Portage County Commission to finish the term of Mike Kerrigan, who resigned due to personal reasons.
2020 — Ran for Portage County Commissioner, defeated in general by current Commissioner Tony Badalamenti.
2022 — Ran for State Representative, defeated by former Representative Gail Pavliga
In 2026, the Ohio Democratic Party will fight to hold its final statewide seat, the Supreme Court position occupied by current Justice Jennifer Brunner, while also fighting to gain another Supreme Court seat, a Senate seat and every statewide executive office.
This does raise a major question about Ohio politics as a whole, though. What does it say about the state of our state politics that the Democratic Party is led by someone with very slight electoral victory? In a state of eleven million people, 88 counties, five elected Congressmen, 40 elected Democrats at the state level, ten major city mayors, and not even beginning to count county officials, the only person they could choose for the political suicide mission that is ODP chair is a former appointed county commissioner?
Personally, I’m glad to see this happen. Incompetence at the state party level could spell trouble for former Senator Sherrod Brown, who has begun fundraising for a potential gubernatorial run according to leftist blogger The Rooster. The ODP’s inept leadership will give Vivek Ramaswamy an even higher edge in our formerly purple-turned-solidly red state.
Thanks for reading The Buckeye Beacon, I’m Josh Lickliter, President of Excel Political Strategies and candidate for Ohio Republican State Central Committee in 2026. This edition is co-written and edited by EPS Vice President Phineas Kelly. This newsletter is supported by clients and friends of Excel Political Strategies. If you’d like to see how we can help your business, campaign, or other venture, shoot me an email today: josh@excelpolitical.com.
Here are the Ohio political headlines you should know.
CONTESTED PRIMARY: Retired Air Force combat veteran Marcel Strbich has announced his campaign to replace Frank LaRose in the Secretary of State’s office. He joins a primary with current state Treasurer Robert Sprague.
Left: Marcell Strbich | Right: Treasurer Robert Sprague PRO-LIFE LEGISLATION: Ohio Representatives will file the ‘Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act’ on June 18, 2025. End Abortion Ohio is organizing an assembly in support of this legislation, with speakers including Pastor BJ Newman. The event aims to rally support for the bill, which focuses on prenatal protections.
WATCH YOUR SIX: Across the state on Saturday, June 14, leftist organizers are planning a “No Kings” protest. This is in support of the radical rioting currently taking place in Los Angeles, California. Find out if your city is on the list thanks to Ohio College Republicans chairman Gabe Guidarini.
[Click here for the full list.]
Photo of a ‘peaceful protest’ in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo taken from a Fox Business article) PETITION GATHERING: Multiple groups are gathering petitions for statewide ballot initiatives. One of the issues being gathered is to abolish property tax in the state. Another one is an effort to repeal Senate Bill 1. Read into the issues before you sign the petitions, — do not sign something you aren’t familiar with.
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