Dem Party will not endorse anyone before the primary, says chair; first debate set for this Thursday

Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chair Shontel Brown quietly decreed last week that the party would make no endorsement in the upcoming special election primary that will be held after current Rep. Marcia Fudge’s expected confirmation by the US Senate as the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 

Brown, who is also a County councilwoman, has declared her interest in succeeding Fudge, whom she describes a mentor.

Brown has been under assault for refusing to step down as party chair, in part because the chair position gives her an inside track to gain the valuable endorsement from the party’s executive committee.

Former state senator Shirley Smith, one of the seven candidates who are announced primary candidates  has been the most insistent voice calling for Brown to relinquish the chair. She has reached out without success to both local and state party officials, but her efforts been rebuffed.

But two events occurred last weekend that appear to have forced Brown’s hand. On Friday, Feb. 19, the Plain Dealer weighed in the next day with a strong editorial directing Brown to step aside, arguing it was the only ethical choice to be made and saying her refusal to do so promptly raises questions about her judgment. 

On Sunday, February 21, an independent minded exec comm member, Richard Montgomery II, wrote a vigorous op ed on Cleveland.com critical not only of Brown but also of the more than 25 party officials who have made early endorsements in alleged violation of party rules.

While the op ed did not accurately cite the party’s bylaws, it nonetheless reinforced concerns about Brown’s suitability for Congress.

Virtually everyone outside of Brown’s close inner circle understands that she needs to step aside. But she has given every indication that she wants to retain the chair, possibly even if she ultimately becomes the next Congressperson from the 11^th District.

Last Monday evening Brown emailed Smith that “the CCDP  will not call an endorsement meeting for the special election and that “everyone is free to endorse whomever they please, whenever they please.”

The Real Deal Press received a copy of the email from Smith in response to our request after we learned about it. Several people are shown as being copied on the email, including CCDP executive vp and Cleveland City president Kevin Kelly, and state party officials Liz Walters and Bill DeMora.

We reached out to the other five candidates via text to see if they were aware of Brown’s decision. Jeff Johnson texted that he had heard of the decision but not from Brown. Neither Bryan Flannery or Nina Turner were aware of Brown’s policy decision, which is illustrates the value of having the chair’s power. Neither of the other declared candidates responded by post time.

Possible rationales for the decision

In recent years, South Euclid mayor Georgine Welo, Cleveland city councilman Tony Brancatelli, and Smith herself have all been sanctioned for violation of the party’s bylaws regarding endorsements. The penalties have involved removal from the CCDP executive committee and denial of party endorsement in the offender’s next ballot appearance.

Brown’s decision not to call an endorsement meeting may reflect concern that some members of her team could be exposed to similar penalties. It could also reflect uncertainty regarding the endorsement process itself, specifically whether  and under what conditions Brown could have secured the necessary 60 percent of those present and voting to secure the endorsement. It would be highly embarrassing Brown to call for such a vote and not win it. A cardinal rule of politics is not to call for a vote if you cannot be sure of the result.

The CCDP executive committee when fully constituted has 750 members. The party chair has unfettered discretion to select 350 of those members every January 1. Brown could have guaranteed herself the endorsement by making the appointments any time after Jan. 2 and then resigning. This strategy likely diminished in value once criticism of Brown’s remaining as chair began to emerge.

And of course, it is likely that by forgoing any endorsement process, Brown hopes to defuse questions about conflict while retaining the position. The attempt to straddle or finesse the situation is likely to nag at Brown’s heels going forward however.

First debate set

The first debate in the campaign is set for this Thursday, March 4 from 11:30a-1p. Seven candidates have been invited and are being advertised as participating. The debate sponsor is the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s Ohio Chapter. It is unclear how broadly the concerns of district voters will be addressed, as the event sponsor has described the focus as concerning “the issues most important to Jewish Dems”. Registration is required.

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