Ohio's Gov. Ted Strickland is leaving no stone unturned in his search for votes as he seeks reelection.

Most recently Strickland has posted a television commercial where he points out his pro-Second Amendment stance, his A-plus rating and his endorsements from the National Rifle Association as well as the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Then Strickland takes a swipe at his Republican opponent, former U.S. Rep. John Kasich. who is hardly an NRA darling with a once "F" rating.

Times certainly have changed for Democrats as it relates to the Second Amendment and other issues of interest to sportsmen and sportswomen.

Not including state races, the NRA has thus far made endorsements for 2 Democratic senatorial candidates and 61 Democratic House candidates. By comparison, the NRA has endorsed 23 Republican Senate candidates and 197 Republican House candidates.

While that difference may seem like a large gap the fact that the NRA is backing any Democrat is news-worthy; which is why the national media has picked up on the story.

And no less an authority than David Kopel notes that the NRA has broken ranks with die-hard Republicans who say the pro-Second Amendment group should support only candidates of its party.

Obviously that ain't going to happen. In its mission statement regarding the backing of candidates, the NRA says: "The NRA-PVF (Political Victory Fund) is non-partisan in issuing its candidates grades and endorsements. We do not base our decisions on a candidate's party affiliation, but rather on his or her record on Second Amendment issues."

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com