The Fall of the Ohio Black Governor's Race ...

We were so immersed in the Maryland Senate race and the likelihood of an All Black Battle, that we only briefly talked about the potential of an All Black Gubernatorial race in Ohio. There, popular two term Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, a Black Democrat, was looking much like a presumptive nominee. Ohio's Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, a Black Republican, is considered a front-runner in the GOP primary.

However, Coleman dropped out a few days ago citing "family troubles" according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The Plain-Dealer's take on this is telling:

Although Coleman later won praise within his party for publicly taking on the powerful gun lobby and for proposing a new state ethics czar, demands of the campaign collided with his duties as a mayor and as a husband. Coleman shunned some campaign duties, preferring to focus on the city's budget, labor troubles at the Central Ohio Transit Authority and other more mundane municipal concerns. Last month, suburban Columbus police arrested his wife, Frankie, for drunken driving. Her case is pending.

That's unfortunate. Still, as far as Black political activity and what will happen in 2006 and 2008, Ohio is a state to look at.