Dems on move in governor’s race

One candidate has been working tirelessly for the three months he has been in the Ohio governor’s race, going from one county party to another, introducing or reintroducing himself to Ohio Democrats.

Another has been meeting with small groups and traveling to scenes of environmental degradation and crumbling infrastructure to underline the themes of his campaign.

A third is only beginning to fill his schedule less than seven weeks before the election.

And a fourth has been plugging away since last spring, when his cast of opponents was completely different. His name recognition and his campaign funds are low, but he thinks hard work and a genuine approach might be enough to make him governor.

The gubernatorial primaries are hitting the homestretch. On the Democratic side, four candidates are trying to whip their campaigns into hyperdrive in the run-up to the May 8 contest. Early voting starts in 16 days.

For most candidates, it’s a grueling round of early mornings and late nights, logging tens of thousands of miles on Ohio’s byways, driving between small gatherings and small-town media interviews. And most of those hours in the car between stops are devoted to “dialing for dollars,” working the phones for the contributions that make a statewide campaign possible.