Just 63 days before the election, Republican Gov. Bob Taft on Tuesday headed to downtown Cincinnati to kick off a two-day, 11-city bus tour and tout his efforts to save thousands of jobs and spend record amounts on school construction.

        In a speech to about 100 office workers on Main Street, Mr. Taft blasted his opponent, Democrat Tim Hagan, saying this year's governor's race gives voters a choice between a plan and no plan.

After greeting attorney and former Common Pleas Judge Leslie Gaines (right), Mr. Taft boarded a bus and headed for Dayton. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        “I stand for re-election with a bold agenda to make Ohio stronger,” Mr. Taft said. “My opponent seeks office with little more than a plan to criticize.”

        Mr. Hagan responded by unveiling the broad themes of his plan for Ohio. In a phone interview, he said that if elected he would expand gambling, increase taxes on certain businesses and reduce spending to 85 percent of current levels to balance a state budget that is expected to be as much as $4 billion short in the next fiscal year.

        Mr. Hagan predicted that allowing video lottery terminals at racetracks would raise $500 million. He said he could save another $500 million by eliminating tax exemptions on businesses, though he declined to say which exemptions. And he said he could save as much as $1 billion by reducing spending, though he declined to say what programs would be cut.

        The Democratic gubernatorial candidate said he would provide more details of his agenda today. He said he would seek a tax increase only if his proposed changes still failed to address the state's budget crunch.

        Mr. Taft also declined to give specifics of how he would make up for projected funding shortfalls. He said it's too early to tell if tax increases will be necessary but he wouldn't support an income tax or sales tax increase unless voters first approved it.

        “We're going to try to control spending but if we can't fund our priorities adequately, we'll look at the revenue side,” he said. “I think it's going to be tough. At the end of the year, we'll look at our options.”

        He said a proposed tax increase should go on the ballot because, “It would be difficult to get it approved by the legislature without it.”

        In spite of the economic downturn, he told the crowd downtown, his administration has helped save thousands of jobs at the Ford plant in Lorain, the GM plant in Lordstown and the Piketon uranium plant.

        The governor also said his administration has increased financial aid by $40 million and has enacted tax credits to make college more affordable.

        “We've made a difference for families and Ohio is stronger for it,” the governor said.

        Angela Daniels, 30, a cashier at the Golden Corral, listened a few yards away where she was waiting to catch a bus. Ms. Daniels said she voted Democratic in the last governor's race but had no idea who the Democratic candidate is this time.

        “I don't watch politics all that much,” she said. “I've heard a lot more about Taft than the other guy, so I'll probably vote for Taft. I don't know what the other guy wants to do.”

        Ismail Ayoun, 54, of Westwood, brought his 5-year-old son, Mohamad, to hear Mr. Taft speak. “I like him because he's doing great things for schools,” said Mr. Ayoun, the luncheon manager for several public schools in Cincinnati. “And I like him because he's a Republican and I like Republicans.”

        After Mr. Taft gave his speech, he boarded a luxury motor home and passed out yellow plastic ducks that had ribbons on their necks reading, “Quack for Taft.”

        The ducks were a reference to Mr. Hagan's website, www.taftquack.com, which depicts Mr. Taft's head on a cartoon duck that responds to claims in Mr. Taft's TV ad with the words, “Taftquack.”

        Despite the humor, the governor said he is taking his re-election campaign very seriously. Mr. Taft has 20 times as much money in his campaign coffers as Mr. Hagan, who says he doesn't even have enough money to go on television.

        Still, Mr. Taft said other special interest groups might run ads for Mr. Hagan.

        “You take nothing for granted in Ohio,” the governor said, adding the economy makes it “a tough time for anyone to be running for re-election as an incumbent.”

        After the Cincinnati stop, Mr. Taft, his wife, Hope, and Lt. Governor candidate Jennette Bradley headed by bus to Dayton, where they visited the Entrepreneurs Center, a state-supported incubator for high-tech businesses.

        They also visited Freedom Elementary School's new building in Lima, a sandwich shop in Findlay and the Marina district, a polluted corridor next to the Toledo riverfront. The governor also plans to visit Cleveland, Lordstown, Akron, Massillon, Columbus and Marietta.

        Reporter Spencer Hunt contributed to this story.
       

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