Don't Be Fooled OhioGOP, DeWine-Yost DOES Represent a Significant Difference of Opinion

Howard Wilkinson writes a piece on the Ohio GOP's worst kept secret: There is a serious split in the party between the conservatives base and the country club establishment.

Clermont County's GOP Chairmain Tim Ruud gets it:

And, in Clermont County, GOP county party Chairman Tim Rudd said he expects his executive committee will do the same when it meets in January.

With DeWine, Rudd said, "there has been a feeling that he has not been conservative enough for a conservative southwest Ohio county."

Hamilton County's GOP Chairman Alex doesn't:

Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou - who said his party is not likely to endorse in the race - said the talk of an ideological split in the DeWine-Yost race is overblown.

"You can't compare this to the New York situation, because there, you had a Republican running who had taken a lot of liberal positions on issues,'' Triantafilou said. "You can't say that here. Mike DeWine is a conservative Republican. He's nothing like the liberal Republican who was running in New York."

Alex needs a refresher course on Mikey's record...I suggest he checks out the "Mike DeWine" tab on WMD...

Now, let's get to the peeps who think they matter the most: the Ohio GOP.

The Ohio GOP endorsed two candidates who are likely to have primary opposition in the May primary - former congressman Rob Portman for the U.S. Senate over Cleveland car dealer Tom Ganley; and former Ohio House speaker Jon Husted for secretary of state over Sandra O'Brien of Ashtabula.

But, on the DeWine-Yost race, the party was silent.

John McClelland, the state party's communications director, said that because of DeWine's late entry into the race, party leaders decided to skip the attorney general's race.

"We decided to be neutral on this one; and it may well stay that way," McClelland said.

DeWine's "late entry" might be providing the cover that the Ohio GOP is using; but the way I hear it, the state central committee has more votes for Yost than DeWine. The only reason why they didn't endorse Yost is a lack of courage. The Chairmain's last name might also have been a factor...

Conservatives are finally fighting back against the liberal wing of the party. And if the OhioGOP doesn't get with it, they may very well find themselves in serious trouble down the road.