The entry of Richard Cordray into the Democratic primary for governor raises questions about what Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O’Neill will do now. O’Neill, who last month came under fire for his controversial Facebook posts outlining his personal sex life, is waiting to see what Cordray does before deciding on whether to run.
O’Neill said in January he intended to enter the governor’s race, but he also said this: “If Richard Cordray is running, I’m not running.”
Now the former Ohio attorney general and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief is running. But O’Neill says he’s not dropping out until he’s assured Cordray will work to legalize marijuana, something Cordray wasn’t willing to talk about at his announcement.
“I don’t have anything much to say about that today,” he said.
So O’Neill says he’s staying in the race right now, but will announce a final decision Friday.
“This is not my first rodeo. I guarantee you the Ohio Democratic Party has polling that shows I am leading right now. Guaranteed,” O'Neill said.
Party Chair David Pepper says he’s unaware of any such polling.
