Ed FitzGerald introduced his wife to about 1,000 Ohio Democratic Party loyalists last night, telling the crowd that Shannon FitzGerald works Monday through Friday at a school and at a northern Ohio hospital on Saturdays. Mrs. FitzGerald's employment is also now an issue in her husband's race for governor against Republican John Kasich, in at least one aspect.

Ed FitzGerald introduced his wife to about 1,000 Ohio Democratic Party loyalists last night, telling the crowd that Shannon FitzGerald works Monday through Friday at a school and at a northern Ohio hospital on Saturdays.

Mrs. FitzGerald�s employment is also now an issue in her husband�s race for governor against Republican John Kasich, in at least one aspect. FitzGerald used a simple story about his wife to illustrate what is sounding more and more like the central theme of his campaign.

�There�s a lot of people working two jobs, and sometimes three jobs,� FitzGerald said at the state party�s 2014 Legacy Dinner at the Columbus Athenaeum. �It�s not a bad thing to elect people to office who actually know what it�s like to work a real job. And Gov. Kasich, if you�re listening, no, Lehman Brothers doesn�t count.�

FitzGerald has for weeks been arguing that Kasich�s governance has been good only for the privileged few and at the expense of the masses, with the attacks targeted at specific Kasich policies. Last night, FitzGerald was more broad.

�Here�s, to me, what the Democratic Party is all about: We represent all of the people who struggle to make it,� FitzGerald said.

Chris Schrimpf, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, responded later that voters should judge Kasich by his results. Schrimpf pointed to the 238,000 private-sector jobs the state has added since Kasich took office three years ago and new proposals to expand tax credits and deductions for low and middle-income earners.

�Those are jobs for middle-class families that can go back to work and put food on the table,� Schrimpf said.

FitzGerald, 45, is the Cuyahoga County executive, with a salary of $170,000. If he defeats Kasich this fall, he would take a pay cut � Kasich�s salary is $148,315.

FitzGerald has also been a suburban Cleveland mayor, an assistant county prosecutor, worked in the private sector as a lawyer, and served three years with the FBI. Kasich worked as a managing director for Lehman Brothers, a TV show host on Fox News, and as a lecturer at Ohio State University in the decade between his 18-year stint in Congress and his first term as governor.

Since 2005, Mrs. FitzGerald has worked as a dietitian for Avon City Schools in Lorain County, west of Cleveland. It was not immediately known at which hospital she works on Saturdays. Last year in an interview, she said she would move to Columbus with her husband if he won.

Kasich�s wife, Karen, spent two decades in public relations, including as vice president at the agency Gerbig, Snell, Weisheimer.

Each member of the Democrats� statewide 2014 ticket spoke last night, as did U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty of Columbus and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. Brown said he was �so impressed� with the state ticket, highlighting the candidates� �presence and demeanor.�

Leaders of that ticket said they feel they�ve moved past a tough stretch. FitzGerald�s first running mate, state Sen. Eric Kearney of Cincinnati, was chased from the ticket after just three weeks because of revelations that he was linked to nearly $1 million in unpaid taxes and fees. Additionally, campaign-finance reports from January showed FitzGerald had been severely outraised by Kasich, who had $7.9 million on hand compared with less than $1.5 million for FitzGerald.

FitzGerald�s new running mate is corporate attorney Sharen Neuhardt, an advocate for women�s health and abortion rights. FitzGerald also has new fundraising and communications teams in place.

jvardon@dispatch.com

@joevardon