Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in a U.S. Senate campaign appearance, joked about the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Monday, saying his sudden death occurred "at a very good time" for union workers.
Strickland, a Democrat who is running to unseat Republican Sen. Rob Portman, told AFL-CIO members that the conservative justice's death "saved labor" from a ruling that could have prevented public-employee unions from collecting mandatory fees from non-members, the Washington Examiner reports.
Scalia's death in February eliminated the 5-4 conservative majority on the high court.
"My friends, a lot of average citizens out there don't understand the importance of that court," Strickland said. "I mean, the death of Scalia saved labor from a terrible decision. And I don't wish anyone ill, but it happened at a good time because once that decision had been made, it would have been tough to reverse it."
The case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, dealt with a state law that requires non-union workers to pay dues to public-employee unions whose contracts cover their jobs. The 4-4 split decision in March allowed the practice to continue, according to Politico.
Strickland apologized for his remarks on Wednesday, in a statement to the Examiner.
"That was an insensitive remark and I apologize," he said.
The former governor has made regrettable remarks before in this race. In February, while meeting with his opponents in Ohio's Democratic Senate primary, he admitted that his record on gun-control is "mixed and spotty," and has "changed over time."
Portman and his allies have used these lines against Strickland many times since, according to Cleveland.com.
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