Ken Blackwell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ken Blackwell
Blackwell in 2011
48th Secretary of State of Ohio
In office January 8, 1999 – January 8, 2007
Governor	Nancy Hollister Bob Taft
Preceded by	Bob Taft
Succeeded by	Jennifer Brunner
43rd Treasurer of Ohio
In office March 1, 1994 – January 8, 1999
Governor	George Voinovich Nancy Hollister
Preceded by	Mary Ellen Withrow
Succeeded by	Joe Deters
Mayor of Cincinnati
In office 1979 – January 8, 1999
Preceded by	Bobbie Sterne
Succeeded by	David Mann
Personal details
Born	John Kenneth Blackwell (1948-02-28) February 28, 1948 (age 77) Alliance, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Xavier University (BS, MEd)

John Kenneth Blackwell (born February 28, 1948) is an American politician and author. He is known for his work as a conservative activist. Over the years, he has held several important public offices. These include serving as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1979 to 1980. He was also the Ohio State Treasurer from 1994 to 1999. Later, he became the Ohio Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007.

In 2006, he ran for governor of Ohio as the Republican candidate. He was the first African-American from a major party to run for governor in Ohio. Today, he is a Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment with The Family Research Council. He is also a Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the Council For National Policy.

Early Life and Education

Ken Blackwell was born in Alliance, Ohio. His mother, Dana, was a part-time nurse, and his father, George, worked as a meatpacker. He has two brothers, Carl and Charles. In 1969, while still in college, he married his wife, Rosa. They have three children: Kimberly, Rahshann, and Kristin.

Blackwell grew up in Cincinnati's Avondale and West End neighborhoods. He went to Samuel Ach Junior High School. He then graduated from Hughes High School, where he met Rosa.

He attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went there on a football scholarship, which helped pay for his education. In 1970, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. The next year, in 1971, he received his Master of Education degree, both from Xavier. After college, he was invited to try out for the Dallas Cowboys football team. However, he decided to stop playing football when he was asked to change his playing position. He later taught at Xavier University from 1974 to 1991.

He has also served as a trustee for Wilberforce University and Wilmington College.

Political Career and Public Service

Blackwell first got involved in politics through the Charter Committee. This was a third political party in Cincinnati. He was elected to the Cincinnati city council.

In 1978, he was elected as Mayor of Cincinnati. He served in this role until 1980. One of his main goals as mayor was to create a task force to improve crowd control methods. This was after a tragic event at a concert in 1979, where many people were injured.

Blackwell with President George H. W. Bush in 1990

Blackwell is a member of the Council For National Policy. This group was formed in 1981. As of 2022, he is the Vice-President of its Executive Committee.

When Blackwell started thinking about running for statewide and national offices, he joined the Republican Party. President George H. W. Bush appointed him to work in the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1989 to 1990. He then returned to Cincinnati to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He lost this election by a small margin. After this, President Bush appointed him as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. He held this position from 1992 to 1993.

In 1994, Ohio Governor George Voinovich appointed Blackwell as Ohio State Treasurer. This was to finish the term of Mary Ellen Withrow, who had become the Treasurer of the United States. Blackwell was elected treasurer in 1994. He was then elected Ohio Secretary of State in 1998. He was re-elected as Secretary of State in 2002.

Ohio Secretary of State Role

As the Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell was Ohio's Chief Elections Officer. This meant he was in charge of overseeing all elections in the state.

Overseeing the 2004 Presidential Election

Ohio was a very important state in the 2004 United States elections. As Secretary of State, Blackwell played a big part in how the election was run. He explained that all Republican statewide office holders were named as honorary "co-chairs" for the 2004 Bush campaign. He said this was a common practice and didn't involve special duties.

Before the 2004 election, Blackwell announced a rule about provisional ballots. These ballots are used when a voter's registration isn't immediately clear. His rule said that if a voter tried to vote in the wrong area, their provisional ballot would not be counted. This rule led to a lawsuit. A U.S. District Court judge disagreed with Blackwell's policy. Blackwell appealed this decision. The Court of Appeals later ruled that poll workers could not stop someone from getting a provisional ballot. However, it agreed that ballots cast in the wrong area would not be counted.

Blackwell was asked by members of Congress to explain some election issues. He responded that he was already working with other government agencies on these requests.

Handling Voter Information

In 2006, Blackwell's office accidentally shared a list of 1.2 million Social Security numbers of Ohio citizens online. This information was part of business filings. A lawsuit was filed, and the issue was settled. His office removed the numbers and agreed to make changes to prevent it from happening again. Blackwell promised to only keep the last four digits of Social Security numbers in the future.

However, on April 26, 2006, his office accidentally released Social Security numbers again. This time, they were on computer disks mailed out to people. These disks contained names, addresses, and Social Security numbers for 5.7 million registered voters. This information was released as part of a standard process under the Freedom of Information Act. Blackwell's office apologized and tried to get the disks back. The Ohio Attorney General started an investigation into this data release.

2006 Ohio Governor Campaign

Blackwell was the Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2006. He won the Republican primary election against Jim Petro. The current governor, Bob Taft, could not run again due to term limits. Blackwell ran against Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland. He chose Ohio State Representative Tom Raga as his running mate. Blackwell was the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for Ohio governor.

The election gained national attention. Many people saw it as a sign of what might happen in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Polls showed that Ohio voters generally preferred a Democrat for governor. Still, Blackwell had strong supporters. Some even suggested he could become president one day.

On November 7, 2006, Ted Strickland was elected Governor. He defeated Blackwell by a large margin.

Conservative Views

Blackwell holds strong conservative views. He believes that life is sacred.

Campaign Funding

During the primary election, Blackwell raised a lot of money for his campaign. He raised more than $1 million from many individuals and businesses. This was more than his main Republican opponent, Jim Petro. However, it was slightly less than his main Democratic opponent, Ted Strickland.

Some groups pointed out that Blackwell and other candidates did not fully disclose all the required information about their donors. There were also questions raised about campaign contributions from companies that had done business with Blackwell's state offices. Blackwell stated that no illegal activity took place.

After the primaries, both Blackwell and Strickland raised record amounts of money. This was partly because of the national interest in the race.

Support from Groups

Blackwell received strong support from many religious leaders in Ohio. He also had financial support from them.

He also earned a high rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund, which supports gun rights. He is a member of the NRA's Board of Directors. Other pro-gun groups in Ohio also endorsed him.

RNC Chairman Election

Blackwell decided to run for Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) in 2009. This position leads the Republican Party at the national level. He received early support from some state chairmen. However, he withdrew from the race after the fourth round of voting.

     Candidate won that Round of voting

     Candidate withdrew

    Candidate won RNC Chairmanship

Work with Family Research Council

Blackwell speaking at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference

The Family Research Council is a conservative religious and political group. They identify Ken Blackwell as a Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment. In 2010, records showed he was paid as an independent contractor by the organization.

National Federation of Republican Assemblies

In October 2011, the National Federation of Republican Assemblies elected Blackwell as their Executive Vice President. This group works to promote Republican principles. Blackwell was re-elected to this position in September 2013.

Involvement in Trump Transition

During the time when Donald Trump was becoming president, Ken Blackwell played a role in the presidential transition. He helped with selecting people for positions related to domestic issues.

See also

• Ohio's 1st congressional district
• List of African-American Republicans

Images for kids

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  Blackwell with President George H. W. Bush in 1990

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  Blackwell speaking at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference