Cordray-Kucinich primary serves as Democrats' first Midwest test of 2018

Cordray has led in sparse public polling, but Kucinich has lurked within striking distance in the Ohio gubernatorial primary.

By DANIEL STRAUSS 05/06/2018 06:50 AM EDT

Democrats are looking to November for an opportunity to re-stake their claim to the Midwest after President Donald Trump painted it red in 2016. But first, they need to figure out who — and what — they want to put forward.

Ohio’s primary on Tuesday is the party’s first test along that road, with former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head Richard Cordray and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich brandishing different brands of populism before Democratic voters, as well as different theories about how to win the swing state, where GOP Gov. John Kasich is term-limited.

Cordray has plenty of establishment backing, but his consumer-watchdog brand and support from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) appeals to the party’s progressive wing. But Kucinich, backed by the Bernie Sanders-aligned nonprofit Our Revolution and several key 2016 allies of Sanders (though not Sanders himself), is betting his longtime support for single-payer health care and other progressive priorities can galvanize not only primary voters but an unsettled general electorate featuring a swath of Democratic-turned-Trump voters.

Cordray has led in sparse public polls of the primary, but Kucinich has still lurked within striking distance after a months-long stylistic debate about whether Democrats need an outspoken firebrand or a more pragmatic progressive to win Ohio. It could be a preview of Democratic primary contests to come in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin — and elsewhere around the country — as the party seeks to rebuild in the states.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/06/ohio-2018-democrats-midwestern-test-514490