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State Sen. Eric Kearney introduces himself as a candidate for lieutenant governor on Nov. 21. Less than three weeks later, he's out as Ed FitzGerald's running mate,

(Al Behrman, The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald found an exit Tuesday for embattled running mate Eric Kearney, but uncertainty remains around his 2014 campaign for governor.

Who will replace Kearney, the state senator from Cincinnati, as FitzGerald's running mate on the Democratic ticket? What will be the long-term impact of nearly three weeks of scrutiny over Kearney's messy finances and FitzGerald's judgment in picking him?

The FitzGerald campaign announced Kearney's withdrawal as a candidate for lieutenant governor in an afternoon email. The statement offered no hints about FitzGerald's plans to pick a new running mate but indicated the decision to move on was mutual.

"I have discussed this with Ed FitzGerald, and while I will always be grateful for him selecting me to be his running mate, we agree that the best course of action is for me to step aside from the campaign for lieutenant governor and focus on serving the people of the Ninth Senate district," Kearney said.

In an emailed statement later, FitzGerald added: "Eric and I agree about the challenges facing Ohio, and about how important it is for the state to change direction in the next election. Because that is our primary concern, we agreed that it is best for Sen. Kearney to step down from the ticket. Ultimately, the discussion of the crucial issues facing Ohio was in danger of being drowned out, making this decision difficult but necessary."

FitzGerald had cast his choice of Kearney as his first major decision as a candidate to unseat Republican Gov. John Kasich. In many ways the lawyer and former Democratic leader in the Ohio Senate made sense. As a black legislator with strong Statehouse relationships, he brought balance to a ticket topped by the white FitzGerald, who is making his first run for statewide office. With his Cincinnati base, Kearney added name-recognition in the politically important opposite corner of the state.

But Kearney's background as a small-business owner – initially portrayed by FitzGerald as a strength – contributed to his quick flameout as a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Within 48 hours of FitzGerald putting him on the ticket, Northeast Ohio Media Group and others began digging into Kearney's personal and business finances. At first Kearney acknowledged only a portion of unpaid taxes attributed to the publishing company that he and his wife own. But news reporters began finding more money problems, and Kearney and the FitzGerald campaign had few concrete answers about how much was owed.

It took two weeks and additional documentation for the campaign to be able to put an amount on the Kearneys' tax tab: Up to $825,000 in federal payroll taxes and state unemployment taxes. And that didn't include credit card debt that American Express sued Kearney over last year. He has paid that bill down from $14,000 to $2,100.

The Kearneys dispute a portion of the tax bill and blame their problems on challenges in the publishing industry and actions by former employees. As scrutiny intensified, the FitzGerald campaign attempted to characterize the Kearneys' decision to keep the company running as heroic and relatable to challenges other small-business owners face. Their company publishes the Cincinnati Herald and other newspapers aimed at black readers.

"Given the challenges the Herald faced, other small business owners might have walked away," Kearney said in his Tuesday statement. "But, we never considered closing our business because it would have meant shutting down a respected community newspaper dating back to the Civil Rights era, and putting people out of work."

FitzGerald and Kearney had hoped that the release of extensive financial documents last week would answer all questions and put to rest concerns that Kearney was not properly vetted. But party leaders and activists feared Kearney would be a distraction, and what began as whispers became shouts from some corners that he must be replaced.

In his Tuesday statement, Kearney said it was "undeniable that this has come to be a distraction from the vital issues facing Ohio, and the choice voters must make in this election."

On Monday, sources close to the party said FitzGerald had begun considering alternatives. And a campaign spokesman who days earlier had called the notion of dumping Kearney preposterous declined to comment on the possibility. Kearney, for his part, professed late Monday that he was unaware of any such conversations.

Speculation only intensified Tuesday, when no mention of Kearney could be found on FitzGerald's website. Statehouse reporters also pressed Ohio House Minority Leader Tracy Maxwell Heard faced questions about whether she might be Kearney's replacement. Heard, whose name was mentioned as a potential running mate before Kearney was selected, was noncommittal when pressed on the matter.

Replacing a running mate is not unprecedented in Ohio gubernatorial elections. Republican Jim Petro had to do so in 2006, when his choice for lieutenant governor, Phil Heimlich, dropped out to run for re-election as Hamilton County commissioner instead. Petro ultimately lost the GOP primary with then State Sen. Joy Padgett in the No. 2 spot.



FitzGerald's do-over comes with time left before the calendar flips to the election year. He made clear in his Tuesday statement that he's hoping to steer the conversation away from an early campaign misstep.

"The campaign will now move on with the discussion squarely focused where it should be," he said. "How we can refocus state policies to benefit working people and middle-class families who are finding it increasingly difficult to get by in John Kasich's faltering economy."

Republicans came out swinging as news of FitzGerald's decision broke.

"We have learned a lot about FitzGerald and his priorities throughout this entire episode," Ohio GOP spokesman Chris Schrimpf said. "His lack of judgment and honesty will haunt him for the remainder of this campaign. We still don't know how FitzGerald allowed this to happen, but we know the entire time nothing Ed FitzGerald or the Ohio Democrats have said has been true. If anyone should leave this race, it's FitzGerald who is clearly not prepared for statewide office."

Columbus Bureau Chief Robert Higgs contributed to this story.