You are looking live at the studios of WFMJ in Youngstown, Ohio! Media personnel from all over the Mahoning Valley have gathered here for today’s match-up. It’s Ken Blackwell versus Ted Strickland, squaring off for all the buckeyes! Hello everybody, with my pardner Bob Davie, I’m Brent Musburger, and folks, were in for a dandy! Teddy Strickland is favored by two touchdowns in this one, with plenty of issues that go both ways. Watch for him to try to run up the middle early to set up rollouts to the left. The captains have shook hands and we’re ready for kickoff!

We’re now just underway here in Youngstown and we’ve seen the opening drives from both candidates. If you’re just joining us, folks, well it was some very predictable play-calling from Teddy Strickland with two quick runs to his upbringing. On third and long he was forced in to a deep pass to his plan to turn around Ohio, which our sideline reporter learned is called the Turn Around Ohio Plan. One thing is certain, folks, Blackwell’s defense is looking solid with Strickland unable to respond to his blitz that Teddy will raise taxes.

All right, we’re back and folks, Ken Blackwell is driving. He’s sticking to his game plan of straight-forward running with tax cuts to improve Ohio’s business climate mixed with short passes to privatize the Ohio Turnpike to raise revenue for services without being forced into send it and spend it. You’re seeing, folks, that Blackwell’s record has even stood up to the relentless pressure from Strickland that Ken is tied to the Taft administration that fumbled away Ohio jobs and couldn’t lead Ohio to daylight.

We’re in the fourth quarter here in Youngstown, Ohio and we’re witnessing an upset in the making! Teddy Strickland’s uninspired offense has been kept out of the end zone by a tough Blackwell defense. And now we’re seeing what we thought we’d see from Strickland- deep passes to the left side of the field. Strickland fires high with an obscure remark to Blackwell’s investment strategy. He rolls to the left and throws out of bounds to an Iraq War protester, and that brings up third and long. And well folks, there’s that 2004 election again. Strickland throws wildly- intercepted! Blackwell picks it off! Now remember folks, in the State of Ohio elections are overseen by the elected Secretary of State, not an appointed commission. Ohioans resoundingly defeated a motion to change that last year.

So Kenny Blackwell out of Cincinnati is about to pull of a huge upset! We expect he’ll take a knee by thanking his fellow Ohioans for watching and reminding us of the stark contrast between him and Strickland. Ted will raise our taxes and has a long record in Congress of doing just that. Teddy is strongly supported by NARAL and Planned Parenthood and relies heavily on the unions that have driven jobs out of the state. And Teddy wants to cut and run from Iraq with tail between our legs and says the 2004 election was stolen by his opponent. We hope you enjoyed today’s debate. I’m Brent Musburger. So long, everybody!