Dorothy Pelanda
Dorothy Pelanda, a state representative from Central Ohio, will run for secretary of state next year — a move that sets up a potentially competitive Republican primary.
“The best [piece of] advice that I ever received and one that I often give when speaking before groups is to dream big and take chances,” Pelanda says in an introductory video that emphasizes her small-town roots on a “farm on the outskirts of Marysville” and as the daughter of a “country lawyer” who accepted sides of beef and venison as payment from clients.
Pelanda, who turns 61 today, said in a telephone interview that she timed her announcement to coincide with her birthday and Ohio’s. (Statehood dates to March 1, 1803.)
“I was born to be the custodian of Ohio’s democracy,” Pelanda said.
The three-term lawmaker’s interest in public service was sparked by her parents. Her father served as a judge and her mother was a teacher. She recalled accompanying them to their local polling site on Election Day. “It was as much a holiday in my mind as any special event.”
Pelanda is the first to enter the race. Another Republican, State Sen. Frank LaRose of Copley, is seriously considering a run and has a fundraiser planned for this evening in Washington. On the Democratic side, State Rep. Kathleen Clyde of Kent is a likely candidate.
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