A spokesman for Democrat Ted Strickland’s Ohio Senate campaign once said that the former governor had "weak" standing with black voters.
Dennis Willard, now a representative for the Strickland campaign, penned two articles for the Akron Beacon Journal in 2009 and 2010 during which he explained the ways that Strickland, then governor of Ohio seeking reelection, had alienated African American voters.
Strickland’s "standing in the African-American community is weak," Willard wrote in a November 2009 article.
In particular, Willard claimed that Strickland angered black voters by backing Hillary Clinton, an ally, over Barack Obama in 2008.
"African-American leaders have … not forgotten that Strickland was instrumental in helping U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton win the Democratic primary in Ohio, which could have derailed, but most certainly delayed, Obama’s ultimate nomination," Willard wrote.
Willard offered multiple reasons for why Strickland was disliked by black Ohio voters, including forcing his nominee to the Civil Rights Commission, an African American, to quit after clashes over a maternity leave proposal she spearheaded.
Referring to Strickland’s reelection campaign for governor, Willard speculated that he would need to select a running mate, "preferably an African-American," who unlike him would be "capable of truly reaching out to the African-American community."
"To win next year, Strickland needs to turn out the Democratic base, and to do this, he needs to motivate voters in Northeast Ohio and the state’s urban centers," Willard wrote.
"African-American voters and other newly registered Democrats came out in 2008 to help Barack Obama win Ohio and the presidency, and Strickland must do everything he can to motivate those citizens to jam the voting booths next November."
When Strickland selected his running mate, the head of a Columbus non-profit agency preventing child abuse, Willard penned a column in January 2010 suggesting that the governor chose Yvette McGee Brown because of her race.
"Why would Strickland pick an unknown who has never raised big money for a political campaign … to try to help him win a second four-year term?" Willard asked rhetorically. "Brown is an African-American woman who has worked for the past decade in the social service field. Strickland has problems with two of those three constituencies."
According to Willard, the social services community viewed Strickland as too "friendly" to the rich at the expense of poor, hungry, and uninsured Ohio residents. He reiterated that Strickland’s support for Clinton in 2008 angered African Americans in Ohio.
"That sting still lingers among many influential black leaders in this state," Willard added.
Strickland’s reelection bid was unsuccessful.
Willard penned a series of negative articles about Strickland, as previously noted by the Weekly Standard and the Youngstown Vindicator. One piece criticized Strickland’s administration for its "empty promises," while others characterized him as a "bizarro-world Robin Hood" and an "unfeeling politician."
Willard, who left the Beacon Journal in 2010 to launch a consulting firm, now serves as a spokesman for Strickland’s senate campaign. The former Ohio governor faces competition for the Democratic nomination in P.G. Sittenfeld, a 31-year-old Cincinnati city councilman who is largely unknown by Ohio voters.
"P.G. Sittenfeld has proactively reached out to people of color—and is the only candidate in this race from either party to propose a comprehensive urban policy that acknowledges institutional racism and calls for education reform, improved police-community relations, and ending the scourge of mass incarceration that has led to America having more of its citizens in prison than any other country in the world," Sittenfeld campaign spokesman Dale Butland told the Washington Free Beacon Tuesday.
"To P.G., black lives really do matter—and not just at election time."
If Strickland, who is backed by the Ohio Democratic Party, wins the nomination, he will face incumbent Republican Sen. Rob Portman in the general contest.
Portman campaign manager Corry Bliss said in a statement that he agrees with Willard’s past criticism of Strickland.
"I agree with Gov. Strickland’s campaign spokesman. Gov. Strickland was an awful governor and it’s hard to find any Ohioan who would want to return to the Strickland era when the state shed over 350,000 jobs and Ohio ranked 48th in job creation," Bliss stated.
In response to the columns, Willard told the Youngstown Vindicator in May, "Ted Strickland will be a tremendous U.S. senator because he surrounds himself with strong-minded people who have diverse opinions so he can make the best decisions when it comes to critically important issues."
Neither the Strickland campaign nor Willard responded to Free Beacon requests for comment.