Wall St. ties a top political target

They're campaigning in dozens of states across the country, but their opponents are hoping to tie them down to one place: Wall Street.

As bankers take heat for the worst recession in decades, dozens of political candidates with financial experience are being challenged to explain their role in the banking sector's collapse.

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The debate on Capitol Hill over President Obama's proposal to impose new restrictions on the financial industry has kept alive discussion of Wall Street bailouts and bonuses — two years after the 2008 meltdown. The House passed Obama's bill last week.

In Ohio, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland has criticized his Republican opponent, former congressman John Kasich, for his work at the now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers. Strickland's first television ad of the general election features a laid-off worker who says Kasich "made millions" at the firm.

"Voters understand that the economic recession we're facing didn't start in Ohio. It started with the reckless practices on Wall Street," said Strickland campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith. "Congressman Kasich was a part of that reckless culture."

Kasich earned $587,175 in salary and bonuses from the firm in 2008, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

... Strickland held a 43%-38% lead over Kasich in a June 29 poll by Quinnipiac University. That margin was the same in a Quinnipiac poll in March, before the ad began.

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