Richard Cordray Turns to Obama to Ward off Kucinich

Cordray Leans Heavily On His CFPB Resume

Facing a tight Democratic gubernatorial primary race against former congressman and two-time presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, Ohio's Richard Cordray hauled out his biggest weapon for his first TV ad: Barack Obama.As president, Obama named Cordray to be the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which is considered a major element of Obama's legacy and which Cordray led for nearly six years.The ad begins with the January 2012 Shaker Heights rally where Obama announced his recess appointment of Cordray , in defiance of Senate Republicans who were blocking his nomination. (Cordray won Senate confirmation the following year.)While the clip is labeled as being from 2012, Obama's speech still has the feel of a present day campaign rally when he says, "The financial firms have armies of lobbyists in Washington looking out for their interests. You need somebody looking out for your interests and fighting for you, and that's Richard Cordray."The ad makes sure to include the moment when Obama put his arm around Cordray. Obama hasn't endorsed a candidate in the primary, but Cordray's political consultants surely believe this is the next best thing.A narrator steps in to round out Cordray's bio: "Rich took on payday lenders, big banks and student loan schemes that profit at your expense. And he won." The screen shows headlines of the financial penalties he levied on major financial institutions."Now he's running for governor, because for Rich Cordray, fighting for people is what he does," concludes the narrator. The final images show a casually dressed Cordray, meeting voters with his running mate Betty Sutton.While Trump won Ohio in 2016, Obama won it it both of his presidential runs and presumably retains high favorability among the state's Democratic primary voters. Cordray's association with Obama is his strongest card, and he's not waiting to play it.