Elect John Kulewicz as Ohio attorney general

John Kulewicz was clearly the better candidate in the Democratic primary for Ohio attorney general. He was up against Elliot Forhan, a controversial former state representative, which made it easy for us to endorse the 72-year-old Kulewicz. The general election contest between Kulewicz and Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, a term-limited Republican, is a bit more complicated. Although we have disagreed over the years with Faber, especially regarding some of his votes on the Ohio Redistricting Commission, we have found him to be an effective auditor. As Faber, 60, told us in an endorsement interview, he has gone after both Democrats and Republicans who have mismanaged, misspent or outright stolen public money during his eight years on the job. (He also told us he was the rare auditor who had gone into the courtroom personally to prosecute a case.) The auditor's job is one that demands a nonpartisan approach, and we believe Faber has in large part conducted himself exactly that way. He said he would bring a similar nonpartisan approach to being attorney general, although he also said he would go to court to challenge overreach by the federal government and other states. That is indeed part of the attorney general's job, but in practice it usually means that Republican attorneys general challenge Democratic presidents and states, while Democratic attorneys general challenge Republican presidents and states. (This is a trend that is by no means limited to Ohio.) We therefore can't shake our concerns that Faber, who cut his teeth in government service in the Ohio House and Senate, including four years as Senate president, would use his office to advance partisan ends, much as former Attorney General Dave Yost did, including on abortion and elections. A Republican, Yost, who also was term-limited, resigned in June to take a job with the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom. (Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, wisely appointed Andy Wilson as a placeholder attorney general rather than touch off a game of musical chairs among term-limited Ohio Republican statewide officeholders vying for various other statewide positions.) Kulewicz told us in a separate endorsement interview that although he would go to court to protect Ohio's interests in a case of federal overreach, he didn't believe the Attorney General's Office should be involved in the sort of culture-war cases that sadly became Yost's calling card. He's right. Ohio's next attorney general needs to be focused on serving all Ohioans, not advancing a partisan agenda. Although Kulewicz doesn't have Faber's experience in state government, he has served as a member of Upper Arlington City Council since being elected in 2019. (The city's officials are elected on a nonpartisan basis.) As we've noted in other contexts, local governments rarely wade into hot-button national political issues but rather focus on improving their local communities. We believe that sort of approach is what Ohio needs in its next attorney general. Faber pointed out that while he had experience leading a statewide office and prosecuting bad actors, Kulewicz's background was in civil law. Kulewicz spent more than 40 years working as an attorney for the high-profile law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, climbing to the rank of partner. Ultimately, the Attorney General's Office is a large law firm devoted to serving Ohioans and their interests. Kulewicz's experience at his former firm, which included helping to lead its appeals work, would be invaluable in managing the office. If he's elected, Kulewicz told us he wanted to use the office to help Ohioans by focusing on protecting consumers and pursuing corruption, among the office's other duties. Speaking of corruption, Kulewicz promised to continue prosecuting two former FirstEnergy executives accused of being involved in the House Bill 6 scandal that felled former House Speaker Larry Householder, a Republican. Faber told us that he would rely on the discretion of the prosecutors assigned to the case, and since they were confident there was enough evidence to pursue the case, so was he. When we asked the candidates about Flock and other surveillance technologies that are becoming too commonplace, both argued that the technology was a useful tool for law enforcement. (Kulewicz said Upper Arlington had 20 Flock cameras, something he supported.) Many Ohioans view such surveillance as an invasion of privacy. Faber and Kulewicz acknowledged those concerns as well as the potential for abuse. Both said stricter rules and accountability were necessary to regulate how the cameras are accessed. Although we've been critical of Yost over the years, we've applauded his work to bring greater transparency to JobsOhio, the state's quasi-private economic development arm. Kulewicz has made greater oversight of JobsOhio a centerpiece of his campaign. Although Faber acknowledged there were some issues with JobsOhio, he seemed less interested in the kind of transparency Yost pursued and Kulewicz has promised. Faber suggested that the legislature would need to take action to improve transparency. Both Faber and Kulewicz have the skills and experience necessary to be Ohio's next attorney general, but on balance we believe Kulewicz is the better option.