When running for elected office, it is generally best to avoid telling voters that they shouldn’t be asked to vote in the first place. No one explained that to the Democrat running for Ohio attorney general.
Speaking at a local Chamber of Commerce roundtable, Steve Dettelbach told a crowd of about two dozen that he wished he didn’t have to stand for election. In fact, Dettelbach thought the attorney general shouldn’t be elected at all. The governor should appoint the AG instead.
“I believe the Ohio attorney general should not be an elected position,” said Dettelbach, according to two separate sources, one of whom took extensive notes at the March 1st meeting.
“The AG is more an enforcer of laws as opposed to a policy maker. The evil in having an elected attorney general is that sometimes they want to do other things,” Dettelbach continued, “and sometimes the actions of the AG are motivated by seeking headlines.”
The Dettelbach campaign, which is in the business of getting their candidate elected, declined to comment on whether Dettelbach thinks voters should have a say in picking their next attorney general. They also declined to say whether or not the quote was accurate.
His opponent was quick to attack Dettelbach as both an elitist and as a veritable opponent of the democratic process.
“The attorney general is the lawyer for the people of Ohio — not the lawyer for the governor,” state auditor Dave Yost said in a press release. “We elect the attorney general to hold the powerful accountable. Steve Dettelbach wants it to be the other way around. But the Ohio attorney general shouldn’t be any governor’s lackey.”
Most of the county agree on that constitutional question. All together, 43 states elect their attorney general while just seven let the governor make that decision.
Though a bit of gaffe, Dettelbach’s suggestion is more than defensible. While it certainly isn’t good politics, the idea of an appointed attorney general has its merits. That kind of top cop would, in theory, focus more on lawyering on behalf of the people and less on politicking.
Regardless, and unfortunately for Dettelbach, voters may not appreciate that kind of nuance.
