suzi. . . the lede for any story like this one – where it might even appear the next hour online or the next day in the paper…should focus on WHAT WAS SAID…especially if it is someone important and it’s an election. So we should work with that….

The Federated Democratic Women of Portage County welcomed Attorney General Richard Cordray to the Kent American Legion Post 496 Friday for their Jefferson-Jackson dinner.

Cordray, who is up for reelection Nov. 2, spoke to ABOUT approximately 100 guests (NO NEED FOR GUESTS) on the importance of continuing his work as attorney general.

“I think that although probably I do have the support of everybody here, there’s levels of support and levels of enthusiasm,” Cordray said, END THE SENTENCE… AND START A NEW ONE…“and for people being able to go back out and talk to their friends and people in their community, as some of these people definitely do, and to have some talking points in mind about what I’ve done at attorney general I do think is important and plus I just like seeing all my friends.”

Cordray said if he is reelected, he has a full plate planned.

“I’m going to continue to pursuing these pretty tough cases against these Wall Street firms,” Cordray said.

Cordray added that fighting these companies is the only way to get back the money taken from Ohioans.

“Let me tell you, those companies do not come walking out to Ohio with money bulging in their pockets ready to hand it back to our pension systems and to workers and retirees,” he said. “You have to go and fight them. You have to beat them, and you have to make them understand that they’re going to have to pay and be subject to accountability.”

He said he will also continue working with local law enforcement and with human trafficking.

“Those may not affect college students directly, but they affect the state and holding people accountable,” Cordray said.

Along with Cordray were other important state and local democratic candidates at the dinner including Congressman Tim Ryan and Supreme Court Justice candidate Mary Jane Trapp.

Tim Ryan, who introduced Cordray to guests at the dinner, spoke highly of the Attorney General, and encouraged Democratic voter participation at the polls.

“This is really in so many different ways as important of an election as ‘06 was and ‘08 was because all of those gains, all of that hard work, all of that door-knocking, could all be for not,” Ryan said. “We could literally give the keys to the car back to these folks, and they won’t take us back to 1980, they’ll take us back to 1920.”

He also warned guests to not assume they know how the election will turn out.

“Don’t take for granted that you think people are going to go out and vote or vote the way you think they’re going to vote, because you don’t know,” Ryan said. “You’ve got to go talk to these people.”

Ryan also spoke to guests about Cordray’s abilities as Attorney General over his Republican competitor, Mike DeWine in saying, “to have a guy like Rich Cordray, who is one of the smartest, most thoughtful public servants that has ever come across this state be challenged by a guy who has no couth. Mike DeWine has no couth whatsoever. This guy will say anything to get elected.”

Cordray’s opinion of DeWine was also made known as he said, “that’s what he (DeWine) would be in the Attorney General’s office: a lapdog in Congress for Wall Street would not be a watchdog on Wall Street in the Attorney General’s office.”

Local candidate Christopher Mallin is the Democratic candidate for county auditor. He is also working to be elected and said his biggest challenge on Nov. 2 will be name recognition.

“Running for office against someone who has been in office for a very long time, and particularly running against someone who has that candidate’s name on every gasoline pump in the county for the last 15 years, is a matter of name recognition,” Mallin said. “Many folks have already formed their opinions about the incumbent and not all of them are favorable, but many of them are.”

Mallin, who is running against incumbent Janet Esposito, said while running against an incumbent is difficult, this dinner allows Democratic candidates a little break from the race.

“This is an opportunity for those of us that are running to relax among friends for a change,” Mallin said.

Leota Reale, president of the Federated Women, said along with the benefit of relaxing with friends comes the benefit of bringing Democratic voters closer together.

“We need the unity right now, and we need a lot of support,” Reale said.