Ohio: George Voinovich

WASHINGTON — Democrats flocked to Columbus to be with President Obama today, as politicians do whenever a president appears in their state. But missing from the picture was U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican.

It wasn't as if Voinovich couldn't make it to Columbus. He's there all day, in fact. His schedule includes working out of his district office, meeting with his case-work staff, talking with banks in central and southeast Ohio about the Troubled Assets Relief Program and, later today, joining high schoolers and their families at a reception for those he nominated to attend the nation's military academies.

His "no" to the White House was a matter of principle, his office says.

WASHINGTON — For the last two years, Sen. Sherrod Brown has occupied offices in the Russell Senate Office Building, a grand but aging place with lots of marble -- and not enough space for Brown's staff in the same suite. No more. Today, Brown and his staff are moving to the Hart building, a modern place with a giant Calder mobile-sculpture in the atrium (which bugs some Republicans) and linear patterns more attuned to architects than bureaucrats.

The previous occupant of Brown's office on Hart's seventh floor: Barack Obama, before he won the presidency in November.

Ohio's other senator, George Voinovich, is on Hart's fifth floor.

Obama left his old digs in good condition, Brown's staff reports.

"So far, it looks like no tuna fish sandwiches in the desk drawers or things like that," says spokeswoman Meghan Dubyak.

Thank you both ProgressOhio and Judge O'Neill for noting this curious timing of my open letter to all Democratic U.S. Senate candidates.

As ProgressOhio's Dave Harding noted, today is the 47th anniversary of the day in history when Ohioan John Glenn was launched in one of the most expensive "tin cup" in history, Friendship 7.  Today, exactly forty-seven years ago, John Glenn became the first American to orbit around the earth.  His three-trips around the world was brief in time, but ever lasting in significance as his early morning launch led to the launch of new imaginations in science, engineering, mathmatics, and American optimism.

Two of Ohio's top Democrats announced they are running for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, setting up a contentious party primary in 2010 and a scramble to fill statewide offices they leave behind that could have ripple effects in Cuyahoga County.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher declared their intentions to try to replace Republican George Voinovich, who is retiring at the end of next year.

Not since attorney Joel Hyatt and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Mary Boyle battled in the 1994 Democratic primary has the party seen such a duel for an open seat.

Though Brunner and Fisher were expected to enter the race, they bumped into each other on the way to the starting line.