Republican enters Ohio A.G. race

By STEPHEN MAJORS

Associated Press Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Republican Mike Crites entered the Ohio attorney general race Wednesday saying he's a newcomer to statewide politics but that he's also the most qualified candidate for the job.

Crites, a former federal attorney who prosecuted Cincinnati Reds great Pete Rose in a 1990 tax evasion case, will face Democrat Richard Cordray, whose party is trying to retain the scandal-marred office.

The Ohio Republican Party spent all summer screening candidates after some of the party's top choices, including former attorneys general Betty Montgomery and Jim Petro, decided they didn't want to run.

Cordray, who was elected state treasurer in 2006, has greater name recognition, but Crites said he's in the race to win it.

"As an athlete, as a naval officer, as a prosecutor, I have never ever entered into any contest that I did not fully expect to win," he said a news conference in the Statehouse. "I would not be here today, ladies and gentleman, if I thought that I was the sacrificial lamb of the Republican Party. I am not that."

Democrat Marc Dann resigned as attorney general in May amid a sexual harassment scandal involving members of his staff. He also admitted to an extramarital affair with an employee, fostering bad office behavior and hiring ill-qualified friends.

Crites tried to draw a parallel to Dann, saying Cordray hasn't much experience running a large office, either.

"They were both career politicians and people who are really not prepared, or qualified to be the attorney general," he said.

Cordray issued a short statement saying he welcomed Crites to the race but that the real issues are protecting the financial security of Ohioans.

The winner in the November election will fill the rest of Dann's term, which ends in January 2011.

Grant Neeley, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton, said he believes Crites, who is a managing partner at a Columbus law firm, faces a big challenge because of Cordray's status as Ohio treasurer.

"You never know what the internal politics of a party are, but I would say that not finding someone who already had held a state office to me says they (Republicans) probably struggled for a little while to find somebody who was willing to make a run at Cordray," Neeley said.

Crites may also have a tough time linking Cordray to the Dann scandal because Democrats, including Gov. Ted Strickland, acted quickly to put pressure on Dann to resign, said Tom Sutton, an associate professor of political science at Baldwin-Wallace College.

The presidential campaign could also affect the race, giving either Crites or Cordray a boost among voters, depending on whether Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama wins, Sutton said.

------

Associated Press writer Doug Whiteman in Columbus contributed to this report.