Ohio Republicans find themselves in the middle of an uncomfortable debate: whether the Republican scandals rocking the Statehouse this year are worse than those of 2006, when Democrats rode the Coingate scandal into the governorship and three of four other executive offices.

Locked out of every office for eight straight years, Ohio Democrats again are telling voters that all-Republican rule has again created a "culture of corruption" in Columbus.

With polls showing tight races throughout the ticket, governor candidate Richard Cordray — who was elected state treasurer in 2006 — and the entire ticket are telling Ohioans it is time for a change in the wake of scandals that have put Republicans on the defensive.

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“I don’t know what happened in ’06," said former U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach, the Democratic nominee for state attorney general. "The atmosphere feels to me like one where — I’ve done a lot of corruption work, I’ve done things involving Democrats and Republicans — I haven’t seen anything more corrupt … than what I see in Statehouse Square right now.”

His Republican opponent, Ohio Auditor Dave Yost, says that's fantasy.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman “David Pepper is a published novelist, and he’s a master at works of fiction,” Yost responded when asked whether he and his Republican colleagues are part of a culture of corruption.

Among Ohio's present crop of scandals is the potential fraud associated with the now-defunct Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. It touches much of the GOP ticket, including the gubernatorial team of Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted, the former House speaker. It brings in auditor candidate Keith Faber, a former Senate president, and Yost.

Democrats contend that the GOP officeholders — the recipients of thousands of dollars in contributions from ECOT founder Bill Lager and others — looked the other way as the online charter school siphoned state aid from public schools by inflating its student enrollment while enriching Lager. The Republicans counter that they acted when they could — some 15 years into ECOT's existence — to take down the enterprise with law changes, lawsuits and criminal referrals to prosecutors.

But that's not the only arrow in the Democrats' quiver. House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville, resigned this year amid an FBI investigation of lavish overseas travel connected to the payday-lending industry as the General Assembly repeatedly delayed consideration of legislation to crack down on it. Legislators finally passed a measure after dodging additional attempts to hold it up, after Rosenberger left office.

Unlike in Coingate, which also occurred on Republicans' watch, no criminal charges have surfaced in connection with ECOT or Rosenberger's travels. Coingate helped set the stage for the Democrats' showing in 2006 as Ted Strickland became governor, Cordray grabbed the treasurer's office, Jennifer Brunner was elected secretary of state and the soon-to-be disgraced Marc Dann became attorney general, an office assumed by Cordray in 2009.

Coingate bagged rare-coin dealer Tom Noe, who is serving an 18-year prison sentence for stealing $13 million from state money he was handed to invest. Nearly 20 criminal convictions resulted, including misdemeanor pleas from Republican Gov. Bob Taft and his chief of staff, Brian K. Hicks, for accepting free golf outings and other benefits from Noe and failing to disclose the gifts in ethics filings.

Although health care remains the No. 1 issue with voters — and Democratic candidates — the perception of political scandal in Columbus is hitting home with voters, Pepper said.

“What we are seeing in ’18 is broader, implicates more (Republican) candidates, and has a more direct impact on everyday Ohioans than anything in ’06 did,” he said.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding rerouted from public school districts to ECOT affected Ohioans and their children, while Republicans such as DeWine, Husted, Yost and Faber accepted ECOT-tied campaign contributions in exchange for “not doing their jobs,” Pepper alleged.

“ECOT fits right into the worst suspicions of everyday voters that these politicians are not there for them — they’re there for their donors. People get it … there’s this sense politics are rigged against the little guy,” Pepper said. “It’s symbolic of the entire culture of corruption.”

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Jane Timken said the Democratic message will not succeed in swaying the Nov. 6 elections.

"I don't think it will work. I think it’s wishful thinking on their part. I think they would like to see 2018 be the same as 2006. The scandals they are pointing to, they have just as many scandals on their side. I don’t see it resonating.

"ECOT, people don’t really understand that issue, and quite frankly, it's Republican leadership that actually addressed the problems with ECOT. The Democrats didn’t step up to do that."

Timken cited discrimination complaints and other problems on Cordray's watch at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Democratic treasurer candidate Rob Richardson's financial problems.

"So, this whole concept the Republicans have the scandals and the Democrat's don't is not true," Timken said.

Herb Asher, an emeritus professor of political science at Ohio State University, said the ECOT and Rosenberger scandals have not risen to the prominence of Coingate in the 2006 election.

"Democrats need to do a better job explaining to voters why these scandals matter and also explaining how they arose from one-party Republican control in Ohio. I think Democrats have discovered that health care is a good issue for them. But I don't think health care and pre-existing conditions should lead them to downplay corruption," Asher said.

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