Does Sherrod Brown have a base problem?

Tim, many of us were working under the assumption that since Sherrod had ties to both Jennifer and Lee that that was why he opted to stay neutral, even though some may have felt he SHOULD have endorsed Jennifer. (And yes, it was galling that officeholders who supported Jennifer were leaned on to remain silent and publicly “neutral,” while those supporting Lee were trotted out as prize exhibits.)

I was not aware that Sherrod was doing anything for Lee “on the down low.” It’s just something I didn’t hear. That was why it was especially surprising when he came out right before the primary and smeared Jennifer falsely. It was definitely a violation of his supposed neutrality.

I know these things sound trivial on the surface, and people may pooh-pooh them. But as a relative newcomer, I’m just learning how long insiders remember stuff like this and how much it can taint their enthusiasm for a candidate or officeholder. I’ve heard a lot since the election about how the enthusiasm of many active Democrats for the governor was dampened by his (or his staff’s) involvement in both the Senate primary and the stuff surrounding the Jennifer Garrison/SoS debacle. I keep hearing that he backed Garrison, and that’s why the objections of women and the LGBT community were brushed off for way too long.