Ohio

I hopefully have quite a few years left. Before I'm old, I'd love to see this state pull its head out of its ass and finally shift forward into the 21st century. Even the Ohio I was born into, during the peak of de-industrialization, had more forward momentum than this place does now. I think we can find it again, but it's going to take a lot of work, and pushing back relentlessly hard against the right-wing victim and disempowerment mentality machine that's at the core of the GOP.

I like what you said about a female candidate, and I think you are onto something. I don't know if Betty Sutton was it as she's about as milquetoast as Cordray, but we needed someone who could invigorate voters into turning out en masse. A female candidate could potentially be that person. Perhaps someone like Dayton's Mayor Nan Whaley could be in the future, with more experience under her belt, and if she can build cross appeal with urban and suburban voters not only in Dayton, but elsewhere around the state.

More to the point, I think Ohio Dems need to go straight-up barn-busting populist, or something to that effect. Cordray was perfect for the liberal urban intellectual set, but he did nothing to inspire voters in small towns and rural areas to warm up to him. He was also lightly received in the once reliably Democratic Mahoning Valley, which seems to have a soft spot for brash populist-types in the style of Jim Trafficant, regardless of their party affiliation. Trump's unedited and unrefined approach obviously has struck a huge chord with them, which is why the Dems can't take their support for granted anymore. Solid blue support from them could have easily made this a more competitive race than it turned out to be in the end.

I honestly think we need our own version of Beto O'Rourke here, who has charisma and cross-appeal with rural, urban and suburban voters alike, and who can draw masses out to see him, no matter where he goes. I don't see anyone like that on the radar, but who knows?