COLUMBUS, Ohio — The sudden entrance of two new female Democrats into Ohio's U.S. Senate race Thursday could spell trouble for the lagging campaign of Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
One of the women, Traci "TJ" Johnson of Hilliard, previously worked for Brunner's chief competitor, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher.
Fisher's campaign adamantly denied any involvement in Johnson's candidacy amid speculation he encouraged it to dilute Ohio's crucial female vote.
Johnson was joined in Thursday filings by Charlena Renee Bradley of Lyndhurst, an apparent newcomer to state-level politics. Johnson has previously run for the Ohio House.
If all candidates qualify for the ballot, the winner of the four-way Senate primary will face Republican Rob Portman, a former congressman and Bush budget director, and three third-party candidates in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. George Voinovich..
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