By Liz Sidoti
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS - Like the job itself, the race for lieutenant governor in Ohio has been obscure, even though the winner - no matter who is elected - will make history as the first black woman to hold the No. 2 spot in any state.
"Whoever wins, she will take on a kind of stature that is far greater than the office," said Ron Walters, a political science professor at the University of Maryland.
He said that whether she wants to or not, the new lieutenant governor will serve as a role model for black women and likely will be responsible for reaching out to that constituency.
The race has grabbed little attention partly because candidates for lieutenant governor traditionally keep low profiles, thereby keeping the focus on their running mates.
Even the candidates - Republican Jennette Bradley, Democrat Charleta Tavares and Sadie Moore Stewart, running mate to Natural Law candidate John Eastman - talk little about the historic nature of the race. They focus instead on their tickets' proposals and their running mates' accomplishments.
"I understand the significance of this, but it doesn't make me lose sight that I would be elected to serve all Ohioans, to provide good government and good leadership to all Ohioans," said Ms. Bradley, who is running with Republican Gov. Bob Taft.
Their ticket is leading both in polls and in fund raising in a state where Republicans control both legislative chambers and all statewide nonjudicial offices.
Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, said the race clearly is an important step in political history for both women and blacks.
"That's especially true when you look at this in a bigger context," Ms. Walsh said.
Of the 89 women in statewide elective positions in the nation this year, only four are nonwhite.
Connecticut's treasurer, Denise Nappier, is black; Hawaii's lieutenant governor, Mazie Hirono, is Asian; in New Mexico, Attorney General Patricia Madrid and Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron are Hispanic.
Ms. Tavares, who is running with Democratic challenger Tim Hagan, said Ohio's lieutenant-governor candidates are missing an important opportunity to hold debates to dispel beliefs that all blacks are the same.
"To me, as an African-American woman, this is history," she said. "But the people of the nation need to see there is a difference and that all African-Americans are not alike, that we're not a monolithic community."
Debates between lieutenant-governor candidates are rare, and the Hagan and Taft campaigns agreed not to hold any.
Ms. Tavares contends that means the candidates for the No. 2 spot have an increased responsibility to publicly highlight their differences.
She says she has been visible while Ms. Bradley has not.
"I am not just window dressing. I am not just a silent picture person on the ticket," she said. "I am someone who is articulating my view of what needs to change in Ohio."
