Tag: Cleveland Indians

However, before Friday’s blockbuster news – and even before he was infamous – Stone was a fairly respected national political consultant with expertise in Ohio. Stone ran Republican President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign in Ohio and 11 other states as the northeast campaign director. He declared Jacobs would spend $800,000 on television alone – a large sum for a treasurer’s race even by today’s standards – to beat Democratic Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow. Jacobs was unsuccessful in his bid, with critics arguing it was because of Stone’s attack-dog tactics. Stone wasn’t done with Ohio statewide politics, though. Reagan never personally endorsed in contested Republican primaries. Stone would frequently appear as an expert who knew the political lay of the land in Ohio in news stories, but didn’t make an overt appearance in politics in the state until 2009. Still an adviser to Jacobs, Stone worked on the campaign opposing the legalization of casinos in Ohio. Jacobs bankrolled the campaign, and it was never made entirely clear if Stone was officially with the campaign or employed by Jacobs directly. John Kasich as a “petulant stoner who will never be president of the United States.” A previous version of this story identified the Dave Johnson who worked with Roger Stone as the current Ohio Republican Party treasurer.