Will Alec Baldwin run for governor of Ohio?

Following in the footsteps of other Celebrities who used their fame to propel them into politics, Alec Baldwin is currently considering running for Governor of Ohio.

Ronald Regan, Jesse Ventura, Clint Eastwood and Arnold Schwarzenegger did it, and there are certainly enough Baldwins left to carry on the acting legacy if one drops out to get into politics, so why not?

Baldwin, a staunch Liberal, told Playboy:

Playboy: Will you run for office?

Baldwin: “I’ll put it this way. The desire is there; that’s one component. The other component is opportunity. A law firm in a liberal Democratic bastion in Ohio state politics sent me a binder with a cover letter that read, “Mr. Baldwin, here’s who we represent, the kinds of cases we handle, our credentials in Ohio state politics. We want you to move to Ohio and run for governor. We will launch your career.”

Alec Baldwin, a regular Huffington Post contributor, has been talking about running for political office for years now. It seems he's still considering switching careers someday. "The desire is there," Baldwin said in an interview with Playboy magazine this month.
The "30 Rock" star said that an Ohio law firm has already contacted him about a gubernatorial run, and he added that he would "love to run against Joe Lieberman."

Playboy: Could you live in Ohio?

Baldwin: I have sometimes thought I could move to New Jersey or Connecticut and run. I'd love to run against Joe Lieberman. I have no use for him. But it's all fantasy. I'm a carry-me-out-in-a-box New Yorker. Here, anything can happen. Who thought Eliot Spitzer would go down the way he did? Senator Hillary Clinton left to serve as secretary of state. Two of the biggest forces gone. Maybe Andrew Cuomo will run for one of their old seats. How much longer will Chuck Schumer stay as senator? After 2013 Bloomberg will be gone. What happens then?

Do I run for Congress on Long Island? What's Tim Bishop going to do? He represents my district. People get sick, die. They're offered lucrative deals and want to cash in and make money for their retirement. People misstep. Unfortunately, an opportunity for me may mean bad things for someone else. I don't wish that.

A native New Yorker, Baldwin said he has been approached by an unnamed Democratic law firm who wanted him to run for governor of Ohio. Asked if he had ever turned down a sketch on Saturday Night Live, because it was too outrageous, Baldwin responded, "Probably a few. It's hard to remember. I'm often asked if I think about going into politics. If I do, these guys will have a field day. I've given them so much crap to use against me… If I run for political office, they'll have a forest of material to kill me with."

According to Baldwin, an Ohio law firm contacted him with a detailed pitch to run for Governor - including an outline of their credentials and experience in Ohio politics. I'm presuming they were asking about 2010, which raises some interesting questions about which Democratic consultants might be looking to stir the primary pot next year. (Would love that tip if anyone has it.)

Governor Ted Strickland may seek a second term in 2010. He was elected with 60% of the vote in 2006. On the Republican side John Kasich, former congressman from Ohio's 12th congressional district has announced his candidacy as has State Senator Kevin Coughlin. Former Republican Senator Mike DeWine is a potential candidate. Todd Kritzwiser has announced his candidacy as well.

President Obama's job approval in Ohio has dropped significantly in the last two months, dipping under the 50% mark for the first time, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University. In the last Quinnipiac poll in Ohio taken in early May, Obama enjoyed a healthy 62% job approval rating, with only 31% disapproving. Today, Obama's job approval stands at 49%, with 44% disapproving - a twenty-five point net drop in just eight weeks.

In the 2010 race for Senate, Rob Portman is well ahead of Tom Ganley for the Republican nomination while Lee Fisher ahead of Jennifer Brunner by a nose for the Democratic nomination. In general election match ups, both Fisher and Brunner run slightly ahead of Portman, though their leads have nearly evaporated over the last eight weeks.

Ted Strickland’s approval rating continues to decline and John Kasich looks very competitive with him in a possible 2010 contest, the newest survey from Public Policy Polling finds. 43% of Ohio voters approve of how Strickland is doing his job as Governor, while 42% disapprove. A January PPP survey found the numbers at 48/35.

Strickland’s approval among Democrats has dropped from 70% to 62%, an unusually low level of support for a Governor within his own party. He’s also seen an increasing level of dissatisfaction with him from Republican voters, 72% of whom now say they disapprove of what he’s doing after just 59% did earlier this year.

Matched up against likely GOP candidate John Kasich, Strickland leads 44-42. He had a slightly wider 45-39 advantage in January. Strickland is mostly hurt by a 54-33 deficit to Kasich among independent voters, even though those same voters prefer a Democrat for the Senate in numbers that PPP will release on Tuesday.

“Midwestern states have been hit harder by the downtown in the economy than most places and their Governors are paying a price for it,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “We are seeing pretty low approval ratings for chief executives across most of the region as voters wait to see what they will do to turn things around.”
PPP surveyed 619 Ohio voters from June 17th to 19th. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3.9%.