"Lee's been there for the party for a long time," said Shipley at a recent Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner.
That longevity and the loyalty it spawns might be Fisher's greatest asset as he faces Douglas, a Toledo businessman who has never sought public office, for the party's nomination.
Fisher formally announced his candidacy in February, but he has been seeking the office for years.
Fisher first came to the attention of top Democratic officials when he was elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 1980. He served one term in the House, was selected as the outstanding freshman lawmaker, and then elected to a Senate seat from the Cleveland area.
A graduate of Case Western Reserve Law School, Fisher gravitated to the judiciary committee.
"Anytime someone with Lee's intelligence and enthusiasm enters the legislature, he quickly gains attention," said Columbus attorney Harry Lehman, a former chair of the House Judiciary Committee. "Lee also outworked just about everybody."
While tabbed by many in the party as a potential star, Fisher's drive led some to label him overly aggressive and sometimes arrogant.
"It's always a fine and often difficult line to walk," said former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Paul Tipps. "You need ambition, but you have to understand that it brings both admirers and detractors."
One of Fisher's admirers was fellow Clevelander Richard F. Celeste, who began the first of his two terms as governor when Fisher entered the Senate. Fisher became a point person for Celeste in the legislature, defending the Democrats' 1983 income tax increase and helping deflect criticism regarding ethics violations in the Celeste administration.
Fisher also became a legislative leader on crime issues. He sponsored Ohio's crime victims' compensation law, the missing-children law and the hate-crime law.
"Those were issues I care very much about and continue to care about," Fisher said. "Working with legislators who brought different viewpoints to the table and who represented different constituencies was a challenge, but it was also a great deal of fun."
It also enabled Fisher to lay the groundwork for what would become a successful bid for the office of Attorney General in 1990. His defeat of fellow Sen. Paul Pfeifer by 1,234 votes out of more than 3 million cast earned him the nickname "Landslide Lee."
The victory thrust Fisher to the forefront as the party's expected nominee for governor in 1998. But unforeseen events during his four years in office altered the political landscape.
Shortly before he left office, Celeste had used his powers as the state's chief executive to grant clemency to numerous death-row inmates. Celeste was not a supporter of the death penalty and his then-wife, Dagmar, was a strong opponent of capital punishment.
Fisher, who had become a death-penalty proponent several years before running for attorney general, challenged Celeste's action in court, arguing that the clemency was not properly granted. Fisher lost in court and angered a number of fellow Democrats who either opposed the death penalty or were strong Celeste supporters.
Fisher also gained enemies within the party when, after numerous news reports of ethical lapses in the office of former state Auditor Tom Ferguson, he appointed a special prosecutor to investigate. That probe resulted in Ferguson, a Democrat, being convicted of ethics violations.
Despite Ferguson's conviction - and the belief by many Democrats that Fisher did the right thing - Ferguson's allies vowed to block Fisher's ascent within the party.
However, the greatest damage to Fisher's drive to be governor came in November 1994 when Republican Betty Montgomery, a former county prosecutor and state senator, denied him a second term as attorney general. Montgomery was helped by the Republican landslide of 1994, but she also defined the campaign as who would be the best crime fighter, even though most of the attorney general's duties are in the area of civil law.
After his defeat, Fisher returned to Cleveland to practice law, but he never completely turned away from Democratic politics.
"Defeat is never easy," he said recently, "but what is really important is that you learn from defeat. It was an opportunity for me to reflect on what I had done in public life and think about where I wanted to go."
Fisher said he "greatly enjoyed" being able to spend more time with his wife, Peggy, and their two children. After much "soul searching," he said, he concluded he wanted to return to public life. "I believe I have the skills and the talents to be an effective governor, someone who can help make this great state even better."
LEE FISHER
* AGE: 46.
* EDUCATION: Oberlin College; Case Western Reserve Law School.
* PUBLIC SERVICE: State representative 1980-82; state senator, 1982-90; state attorney general 1990-94.
* PRIVATE BUSINESS: Law practice in Cleveland and Columbus.
* FAMILY: Married to Peggy Zone Fisher, two children, Jason, 14, and Jessica, 6.
CREDIT: JONATHAN QUILTER/ASSOCIATED PRESS