Ohio DUers: Can Springer Win?

We wnt to hear from you. Can Jerry Springer be elected to the US Senate? Voinovich is a tough opponent no matter who he runs against, but Springer will have a lot of money.

I don't know. I've been thinking about it for some time and haven't come to any real conclusion either way. Springer has money, Voinovich has less name recognition but that may just be outside of Ohio. I'm not sure whether Jerry's show will hurt him or help him even in the area of credibility.

The way I see it is this. He isn't on his show in the way that his guests are on his show. His purpose on the show is to provide as rational a mind as possible to counterbalance the insanity on stage. He always comes across as a down to earth person who genuinly cares for the people on stage.

However, it is the Jerry Springer show and just the name incites hooting and hollering. We know for sure this reaction isn't because people are political junkies.

Really I worry more about his prior conviction for soliciting a prostitute more than his show. Largely because people, at least that I've talked to, don't know about it. They accept the show, it's nothing new, it's all in fun, they enjoy it and know Jerry's just doing his job.

The conviction however always bites people, it's new information which throws them off and makes it seem like he's been hiding something. Especially in this "era of responsibility" he may find problems, although maybe he can play it off as "youthful transgressions" also. Problem with that is he was mayor of Cincinnati at the time so how youthful could he have been?

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Correction

He wasen't mayor at the time, he won the (1977) election after his conviction! At the time of his conviction (1974) he was a city councilman. Well this kind of puts things in a new light. Maybe.
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At the very least it'll be an interesting race, it'll be the best Springer show ever...

Jerry Jerry Jerry in 2004!

so these things can sometimes happen

but i think jerry's real albatross is that he is far too left for the powers-that-be to accept him

A shame really. Springer is a bright guy with good communications skills but that moronic show of his is a real albatros. The few times I've watched he seems to be almost disinterested, but yet he allows what goes on under his name. He's already paid the price for that.

The Republicans seem to have a real lock on statewide office here.

Voinovich: 54%
Springer: 42%
Others: 4%

He will be a credible candidate for awhile, and I think he will keep the polls close until the very end. Springer knows how to respond to the usual talking points against his show, and he has money to do ad buys in all Ohio media markets. If anything, I see this race as more of a yes vote for Voinovich than a stunning repudiation of Springer.

Sort of establishes his bona fides as a moderate when in reality he votes the conservative Republican line 80% of the time. This gives him quite an advantage over any Democratic candidate.

I certainly don't take the man seriously and I doubt many do. I realize he was the mayor of Cinci (?) or something, but really, this man would be an embarrasment to the democratic party if they let him run as a Dem.

act for the real Jerry Springer. He's really a very smart, compassionate guy who would smoke any conservative in a debate. Sure, he made a mistake with a whore but that's about the only negative thing anyone can say about him. If he ran in my state I would vote for him easily. But then, I'm from California ;)

He'd have a better chance against DeWine, though.

Everybody I talk to says they'd vote for Springer, but this is a very Democratic area, especially for rural Ohio. (Everybody's in a union.)

... of the two Senators DeWine is, oddly,the silightly less conservative one.

Interesting to guess what part of Ohio you live in (a rural area thats mostly Democratic)....just the opposite here. Seems the only folks who vote Democratic are the blacks and some union guys....

But honestly I don't see Voinovich losing. This race will either be a complete blowout or amazingly close.

I agree that he has name recognition and money which is important, but I can't see him making a showing. The only support I've seen for him is on this board. Several of my friends and I were discussing his candidancy this weekend and none were willing to vote for him. I admit I will not vote for him. Period.

He has amazingly high name recognition and amazingly high negatives. For the majority of Democratic voters in Ohio and probably the state as a whole as well his first impression is that horrible show. I would vote for him if he won but his entry into this race has made me email Fingerhut's campaign and offer to do anything I can for him. I will do my upmost to avoid voting for a man who exploits the poor in close to the worst possible way. In his own way he is as bad for the poor who cross his path as Burns is on the poor who cross his. Not only do I think he would lose he is all but morally unfit for office.

I see it as exploitation.

Born and raised in this state, and I'll tell you this...

A LOT of the white trash element of this state votes Repuke because they believe the lies they're told. Take that vote away from Voinovich and hand it to Springer...he's got a clear shot.

And trust me...there's A POOPLOAD of white trask morans in this state. And I say thatas a proud citizen of Ohio.

nt

Angry is correct. Parts of this state are very redneck and very conservative....and these are not necessarily the rural parts of the state either.....

1) There's a lot of people angry at Voinovich for forcing their tax cut to be lower.

2) How do you run a mud-slinging campaign against a man who has already had all his dirty laundry aired on TV????

What tax cut? Everyone knows our state, county and city taxes are about to skyrocket.

And trust me...there's A POOPLOAD of white trask morans in this state.

...but does the white trash even vote?
'

I'm a Cincinnatian, and Jerry Springer is a "favorite son" so-to-speak. Yes, he was the mayor for a time, yes, he paid a hooker with a check. He then moved on to a nightly newsanchor slot on the NBC affiliate (WLWT), where nightly he gave a thoughtful commentary, always reflecting his own liberal views.

When the Jerry Springer Show first started, it aired in Cincinnati and just a few other cities, and was test-marketed as a Phil Donahue-type chat/exposee show. In short order, the show morphed into the parody of itself it became.

I guess the moral of the story for me is that in this part of the state, anyway, we know Jerry, we love Jerry, we accept Jerry despite that crap talk show. I think he can overcome it state-wide, because honestly, when the man speaks, he's thoughtful, he's intelligent, he's passionate. He has government experience, and he's committed to the state of Ohio.

I think in the end, he has the potential to raise a lot of money, and I think his name recognition is more powerful than that of Voinovich. I can imagine that Voinovich's anti-Springer ads will be fierce, but they'll be of the one-trick-pony variety, focusing on Springer's personal faults. I imagine Springer would do well running a campaign on the future of Ohio, the future of our country, and the well-being of Americans. I imagine Springer would do well by campaigning on ideas, rather than attacks.

I may be going out on a limb here, but once the snickering about his candidacy dies down, I think he has one helluva good chance.

Just my nickle,
Jennifer :-)

ON EDIT: typos

Can I call you Jen :) I'm not from Ohio but to dis Springer because of his TV act is very short sighted. Given a chance in the political forum I think he will acquit himself quite well. Ohio Dems should support him wholeheartedly. I think he'd win.

If what you say is true, that Cincinnati voters still identify with Springer and will vote for him, then he is a very strong candidate. The Democrats usually find a candidate from Northern Ohio (Hagan, Fingerhut, Celebreze, or Joel Hyatt), who has no appeal downstate. If the Dems can put up a candidate that will take one republican city away from Voinovich, we may have a chance.

Eric Fingerhut must be hating this.

...its like, going to the polls..."who dat?"


I think that the last time the Dems ran a statewide candidate from my part of Ohio was when Paul Leonard ran as Celetstes running-mate....(Leonard was the former mayor of Dayton). ..and that was back in the 1980s.

Phil Donahue got his start just up the road, in Dayton. It would be nice if Phil came back "home" and got into politics....

And the regular Democrats are going to be pulling for another candidate, some guy named Fingerhut, from up in the Cleveland area , I think.

So Springer is going to have to overcome the regular Democratic organization to win the primary, and then take on Voinovich.

I guess the question is whoes going to lose against Voinovich worse...Springer or Fingerhut.

Is there a chance it would be taken that way? Is there a chance Springer could energize the people who pay no attention to politics? That might be interesting.