Too Close to Call: Stratton vs. Burnside

A Democrat's challenge to unseat incumbent Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton has been intense, even though many voters admit they know little about the race.

Backed by unions and trial lawyers, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Janet R. Burnside has given Stratton a run for her campaign money.

According to a poll of likely voters conducted by the Columbus Dispatch, the contentious race between Republican Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Democrat Janet R. Burnside of Cuyahoga County remains too close to call.

The outcome could hinge on which party is better at getting its supporters to the polls -- and how voters respond to the glut of smash-mouth ads during the final days of the campaign.

Read the whole story in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only).

Commentary by Chad D. Baus:
Justice Stratton is the ONLY of four high court candidates that has remained largely above the attack ad fray. None of her own ads have been deemed inappropriate, and she has consistently and immediately condemned any negative ads run by third parties on her behalf.

Burnside, meanwhile, waited for until less than a week before the election to publicly denounce two ads run by third parties on her behalf, despite their having been condemned by the Ohio State Bar Association. A third ad, this one paid for by Burnside's own campaign, has been found to have probable cause of having violated Ohio elections laws.

The outcome of this election could determine whether or not Ohio continues to suffer under the rulings of an activist court which often legislates from the bench on controversial 4-3 split rulings, or whether the court returns to its Constitutionally intended role of ruling on the law.

The OFCC PAC has determined this to be a KEY RACE in our fight for the restoration of our self-defense rights in Ohio. Any CCW law passed is bound to have challenges in the courts - we need a court committed to rule on the Constitution, not on political whims. Please make sure you bring your friends to the polls to vote for Justice Stratton and Maureen O'Connor.