CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's good news and bad news for the Ohio Democrats.

The good is that, despite the recent Republican whitewashes over the likes of Ed FitzGerald and Ted Strickland, they have no shortage of potential candidates for governor in 2018. Meanwhile, the GOP appears headed for a bruising primary involving some of their heaviest hitters.

The bad is that they have so many possibilities and not a sure thing in the bunch. This is not necessarily an embarrassment of riches. This could be quantity, not quality. Democrats must spend the next year figuring out where they want to go and who can lead them there.

Spend a few minutes wondering who might run and you quickly can come up with more than a dozen names. I stopped at 17. I could have kept going. Instead, I limited it to those who have said they are thinking about running, those who are being encouraged to run and those whose names have been mentioned -- even if casually -- by Democratic activists watching the field.

I go through all 17 names in the accompanying video. Of course not all 17 will run. But each one has at least been floated as a contender by party sources I have talked to in recent months.

Here's a look at how the field breaks down, based on where each prospect stands.

Has acknowledged interest (6): Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill; former State Rep. Connie Pillich of Montgomery; Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland; Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman; and former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams.

Has been publicly encouraged to run (3): Jennifer Brunner, appellate judge in Columbus and former Ohio secretary of state; Richard Cordray, director U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and former Ohio attorney general; Nina Turner, former state senator from Cleveland. (O'Neill has said he won't run if Brunner or Cordray do.)

Is believed to be interested in running (1): Betty Sutton, former congresswoman from Copley who leads the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. (Like Cordray, she would have to leave a federal job if she wants to seek elective office.)

Might want to run, but ... (3): Armond Budish, who is more likely to seek a second term as Cuyahoga County executive in 2018; and Mayors John Cranley of Cincinnati and Nan Whaley of Dayton, both of whom are up for re-election this year.

Has been mentioned as a possible, though unlikely, candidate (4): U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Columbus; former Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman; State Rep. David Leland of Columbus; and former Cincinnati Mayor and TV personality Jerry Springer.

Yes, that Jerry Springer.

So, who'd I miss?