The worst kind of rumor.

The last thing a candidate wants to read is that there are rumors swirling about whether he/she is going to drop out of the race.

Just yesterday, Charlie Crist in Florida had to shoot down word that he was planning to quit in his primary against Marco Rubio.

And now, the Washington Post is stirring things up for Ohio's own Ted Strickland. In an analysis of what Gov. Ritter's (D-CO) dropout means, Chris Cillizza said :

A cold chill almost certainly went down the spines of the governors of Iowa and Ohio when they heard about Ritter's retirement. Both Culver, in Iowa, and Strickland, in Ohio, find themselves in positions similar to Ritter -- once considered unbeatable they have seen their state's faltering economies (and their responses to it) erode their popular support. Do one or both men reconsider their re-election plans as a result?

Strickland may drop out?

That's the last thing potential contributors want to hear.