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STEUBENVILLE -- The Ohio Democratic Party is looking for a new leader, and Steubenville’s Lou Gentile is confident he is the right person for the job.
“I have spent the better part of 20 years working to elect Democrats in Ohio,” Gentile said. “I’ve had to run and win and fight in tough elections in Southeastern Ohio, a place where Democrats need to really connect with voters if we are going to be relevant.”
Gentile is one of six candidates who are seeking to become state party chair. Whoever is selected will replace David Pepper, who stepped down in December from the post he has held since 2015.
“I’ve had a good relationship with David and I expect that to continue,” Gentile said. “He’s worked hard for the party, and I expect him to continue to be involved in the party.”
Democrats have not fared well across the state during Pepper’s tenure, with Donald Trump winning the state’s presidential vote in 2016 and 2020. There were bright spots as well, Gentile noted, pointing to the gains the party made on the state Supreme Court, where it picked up three seats in the last couple of elections. Gentile said he has a clear plan to build on that momentum.
“We have to be speaking directly to voters in small towns. That’s something important for the Democrats to be doing across the state,” Gentile said. “I think it has to be a strategy where we do all things. We need to engage with Black and minority voters as well as improve turnout.
“There needs to be a program where we are in those areas for long periods of time and have a constant dialogue,” he added. “We need to be able to tell them what the Democrats stand for.”
Gentile still lives in his hometown, but he said he spends a portion of his time working in Columbus as a principal with Vorys Advisers, a post he has held since 2017. The firm provides government relations and strategic counsel to Ohio businesses and other professionals.
He has an extensive background in Democratic politics that started in 2002, when he was a field director for then-U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland. Gentile also was a field organizer for Richard Gephardt’s presidential campaign, was involved in Strickland’s gubernatorial campaign and served as deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia under Strickland.
Gentile was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2010 and was appointed to the state Senate in 2011 — a seat he successfully defended in 2012. He lost his 2016 re-election bid to current state Sen. Frank Hoagland, R-Mingo Junction.
While in the Senate, Gentile served as the Democratic campaign chairman. He sees that experience as a plus in his push for the top party spot.
“Part of the job of the chair is to recruit candidates and raise money,” he explained. “When I was in the Senate, I was the leader and the campaign chair for the caucus and I had success in raising money.”
Gentile understands the challenges the next chair will face, and he presented an eight-point plan to the party’s executive committee. It includes engagement with Black and minority voters, engaging rural voters, fundraising, shining a light on Democratic stars, outreach and organizing, ensuring the party is open and inclusive, staying focused on communications and message and continuing a commitment to diversity.
“We need to make sure we are able to tell people what Democrats stand for,” he said. “We need to expand our base with the urban core while reconnecting with blue-collar voters.”
Gentile acknowledges that Ohio’s political landscape has changed dramatically during the last couple of decades and that areas that at one time could be counted on to vote Democrat are no longer a sure bet.
“There are a number of things that you can point to, but I recognize that longtime Democratic strongholds like the Mahoning and Ohio river valleys have done a turnaround,” he said. “Regardless of how we got there, it’s important to recognize that if that is going to change we need to connect with blue-collar and rural voters.
“We need to focus on meeting people and talking about issues that are important, like jobs, health care and infrastructure.”
The party had planned to have a new chair in place by Tuesday. A revised schedule means the selection won’t be made until Jan. 14. That will give Gentile and the other five candidates for the spot — a field that includes Antionette Wilson of Columbus, Liz Walters of Akron, Vanessa Enoch of West Chester in Butler County and Will Klatt and Gary Josephson of the Columbus area — more time to make their cases.
“I’ve been spending the majority of my time talking with members of the executive committee,” Gentile said. “I’ve also been spending a great deal of time listening to them and hearing their thoughts about how they think we should restructure the party.”
Part of that likely will reflect the leadership style of President-elect Joe Biden, who lost in Ohio in November.
“Biden will focus on a message that will resonate in smaller towns and rural Ohio,” Gentile said. “We need to look at expanding our base and improving our performance with voters that will help us turn areas that have traditionally been red to more purple.
“We can’t rely on turning out and doing well in our regular areas,” he added. “That’s important – but we also have to be able to improve our margins in the other areas of the state.”
It’s a job Gentile says he is up to.
“I am optimistic about the future of Democrats in Ohio,” he said. “We have a number of talented leaders to build on — state legislators, mayors and local officials from every corner of the state. It is the state chair’s responsibility to shine light on those talented stars, lift them up and help them become the face of the party.”