BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- Faced with repeated snubs from Democratic interest groups and dismal standings in opinion polls, Toledo businessman Bruce Douglas ended his self-financed campaign for his party's Ohio gubernatorial nomination Thursday.
While his exit sets up a fall campaign between Democrat Lee Fisher and Republican Bob Taft, it also raises questions about money Mr. Fisher raised for his primary against Mr. Douglas.
Mr. Douglas told reporters he decided to get out of the race for governor this week after an internal poll showed he trailed far behind Mr. Fisher. Independent polls also indicated Mr. Douglas' message hadn't connected with the electorate.
"It would appear to me that the only way I could catch up is to relentlessly conduct a negative campaign. I won't do that," Mr. Douglas said. "And launching an all-out attack on Lee Fisher would surely hurt the entire Democratic ticket in the fall."
Mr. Fisher welcomed a pledge of support from his former rival. But while he insisted he had focused only on winning the primary, it had become clear during the past week that Mr. Fisher already was shifting his campaign to the fall election.
For instance, a TV ad Mr. Fisher began airing statewide Thursday makes no mention of the fact that he faced a primary at the time the spot was filmed.
Aside from two recent debates, Mr. Fisher had adopted a front-runner's mentality of doing all he could to ignore his challenger.
"I think Fisher got the best of both worlds out of this," said John Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. "Primaries help candidates focus on raising money and honing their message early. But Fisher won by default."
Mr. Green and other observers think the general election campaign for governor won't start in earnest until after voters decide the fate of a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase for schools and residential property tax relief.
Both Mr. Fisher and Mr. Taft support the tax hike, which will appear as state Issue 2 on the May 5 primary ballot.
Mr. Douglas tried to distinguish himself by advocating a rival plan that called for a 1.5-cent sales tax increase and higher cigarette taxes. The proceeds would have been used to cut property taxes and finance school reforms such as smaller classes and all-day kindergarten. However, he failed to attract the support of groups influential in Democratic primary campaigns, including the Ohio Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
"Maybe it's also a case of a relative unknown starting his campaign too late," he said. "Or maybe it is simply that I was not a compelling enough gubernatorial candidate."
Mr. Douglas spent at least $1 million of his own money on TV ads and a pricey mailing sent to Democratic voters, but it wasn't enough to boost his ratings in the polls.
Paul Tipps, a Columbus lobbyist and former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman, said Mr. Douglas effectively lost the race once the General Assembly voted to put the less sweeping tax plan before voters.
"The timing of his primary issue got knocked out of the box because this has been turned into a tax issue, not an education issue," Mr. Tipps said.
It now appears the first battle of the fall campaign will be waged over campaign cash.
Under a 1995 campaign finance law written by Republican lawmakers and supported by Mr. Taft, individual contributions are limited to $2,500. In January, Mr. Fisher took advantage of a provision in the law that lifts the limits for candidates facing a self-financed challenger like Mr. Douglas.
GOP lawmakers rushed to change the law late last year after realizing it would have allowed Mr. Fisher to use any leftover funds in the general election, potentially giving him a financial advantage over Mr. Taft.
The revised law requires Mr. Fisher to give back some of the money raised in excess of the limits, but there is a dispute about how much must be returned.
"If Lee Fisher really believes in a level playing field, he ought to give all the money back because he doesn't have a primary," said Brian Hicks, Mr. Taft's campaign manager.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Fisher said his staff is researching the law.
"This is an unprecedented situation and one we hadn't anticipated," he said. "We will return all the money we are required to return under the law."
