COLUMBUS — On the eve of his two biggest fundraisers, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Timothy Hagan shocked even his own party leaders when he said Wednesday he won't have enough money to run television ads in the upcoming race against Gov. Bob Taft.

        “We're not planning to go on television. We believe we'll do some direct mailing,” Mr. Hagan told The Enquirer. “Our posture is simply this: We believe if we're going to change politics in America, we've got to stop making television stations wealthy.”

        Mr. Hagan said he'd have to raise $25,000 a day between now and the November election to run enough television ads to make a difference.

Hagan

        “There's no way,” he said. “I would not diminish myself. It's tough enough to be on the phone four or five hours a day trying to raise $10,000.”

        Mr. Hagan's comments stunned not only Republicans but also Denny White, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

        “Wow,” Mr. White said. “How the hell do you get elected without TV in a statewide election?”

        He questioned if Mr. Hagan was being truthful or trying to confuse his opposition. “This is a total surprise, the governor's candidate telling you he's not going to be on TV,” Mr. White said. “Maybe he wants Bob Taft to go to sleep before Election Day.”

        Jason Mauk, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, welcomed the news, saying no statewide candidate can win in Ohio or even get decent name recognition without a major television campaign.

        “If Tim Hagan can't communicate through television, that's the nail in his coffin politically,” Mr. Mauk said. “That got to be pretty devastating for him.”

        He said Mr. Hagan's decision not to run ads gives Mr. Taft a tremendous advantage. With $8 million in the bank as of early August, Mr. Taft already figured to far outspend Mr. Hagan, who reported $375,000 on hand. That means the governor can spend more than $20 for every $1 Mr. Hagan spends.

        Mr. Hagan is relying heavily on two upcoming Cleveland fundraisers, one featuring former President Clinton, which he estimated will raise about $100,000. The other brings in the cast of the Star Trek television series Voyager. Mr. Hagan is the husband of Kate Mulgrew, who played Capt. Janeway in the series.

        Last week Mr. Hagan had hoped he would be able to run television commercials in the final two weeks of the campaign. He now says he may raise $2 million but would need another $2 million to run an effective television campaign.

        He decided direct mailing was a better use of his limited funds. “If you buy the premise you need millions of dollars to be credible and you are dead if you don't, I'm not going to argue,” Mr. Hagan said. “But I hope I can win by raising the right issues.”

        He acknowledged it will be tough. “I don't have ... a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather who has had political influence for over 100 years,” he said. “There's not one museum or road named after my family.”

        Despite Mr. Hagan's financial straits, Orest Holubec, spokesman for Mr. Taft, said the governor is still not taking victory for granted. “We assume our opponent will raise enough money to be present,” he said. “We have 75 days in this state and a lot can happen.”

        James Ruvolo, a political consultant and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, said more candidates are turning to direct mail because the Internet and cable give viewers more options. Still, Mr. Ruvolo said he's troubled that Mr. Hagan says he's not going to use TV to get out his message.

        “Television is the validator of a legitimate campaign,” he said. “I would say history is against him.”

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