BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- Fueled by a deluge of TV commercials and a campaign fund that dwarfed his rival's, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters declared victory Tuesday in the race for state treasurer.
A large Cincinnati contingent cheered Mr. Deters on as he gave his victory speech.
"I just know the numbers that I got out of Hamilton County were incredible and put us over the top," he said. "It's been a great Republican year, and I would be remiss if I didn't thank everyone on the statewide ticket who pulled me along, like Bob (Taft) and Betty Montgomery. This has been a terrific journey for a lot of us."
With 99 percent of precincts reporting statewide, Mr. Deters was leading Summit County Treasurer John Donofrio, 54 percent to 46 percent.
The Hamilton County Republican party will appoint his successor in the prosecutor's office and party chairman Mike Allen is interested in the position.
Opinion polls taken in recent weeks suggested the race would be one of the closest statewide.
Republican Party leaders were worried enough to plow $400,000 into Mr. Deters' campaign during the first two weeks of October. Attorney General Betty Montgomery also helped, donating TV time her campaign had purchased so the state GOP could air an ad attacking Mr. Donofrio.
More than 90 percent of the $1.2 million Mr. Deters spent during the past four months financed a TV ad campaign that overwhelmed the one 30-second spot aired by Mr. Donofrio.
With help from the Republican-controlled General Assembly, Mr. Deters wants to make the treasurer a much more powerful player in state financial matters.
He has called for consolidating the state's $6.8 billion debt under the treasurer's office, a portion of which would be financed at variable interest rates.
Sixteen agencies can borrow money to finance housing, tollways, state and university facilities, and sewage treatment. Boards appointed by the governor oversee most of the agencies.
Victory would place Mr. Deters in line for higher offices, such as attorney general and governor.
Mr. Deters, county prosecutor since 1992, chose not to run for lieutenant governor or attorney general four years ago.
However, he jumped at the statewide ticket this year when state Treasurer Ken Blackwell, a fellow Hamilton County Republican, decided to run for secretary of state after incumbent Bob Taft announced his candidacy for governor.
Mr. Deters and Mr. Donofrio aggressively played up their differences to boost their name recognition. Each man questioned his opponent's credentials and experience.
While Mr. Deters wants to increase the political clout and visibility of the treasurer's office, Mr. Donofrio saw the job as a way to promote economic development and create jobs.
Although he was behind in raising money, Mr. Donofrio banked on his two decades of experience as Summit County treasurer to sway voters.
"I think one of the main differences between the two of us is I will not run for any other state office except the treasurer's office," Mr. Donofrio said in the campaign. "For me this is a culmination of my entire knowledge in the public financial field."
Mr. Deters said he resented assertions that he is running for treasurer merely to gain more experience.
"I'm only going to run for an office that I can make a difference in," Mr. Deters said earlier. "The attractiveness of this office is what Ken did with it. He took the job about 10 times higher in terms of political influence. I intend to do the same thing."
Mr. Donofrio opposed slashing the number of agencies authorized to borrow money because he said it would consolidate power in the hands of a few. He said the proposal goes far beyond the duties of the treasurer's office. He wanted to concentrate on how the state manages its investments.
