2006: All Key Issues on Display in Ohio
Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 08:36:53 PM PDT
So says
US News & World Report in its June 19 edition. The report highlights many of the up-ticket candidates and notes that everything from jobs to the Iraq War to evangelism are in play. Overall, the report shows that republicans know they're in trouble and they'll (again) stop at nothing to win:
In the 15th Congressional District, centered in Columbus, Democrats may have a better shot. Incumbent Deborah Pryce, the fourth ranking Republican in the House, is facing Mary Jo Kilroy, a county commissioner. A proven vote getter and formidable fundraiser, Kilroy will most likely benefit from a decade-long exodus of conservative voters to the exurbs. That has made the increasingly suburban district more moderate. It went to Bush by less than 1 percentage point in 2004. Smelling trouble in such areas, the House GOP leadership unveiled a "suburban agenda" last month that includes plans to run background checks to weed out pedophile teachers and a pledge to tackle gang violence.
More below.
Among Pryce's concerns will be her support for the Iraq War:
But because of the district's economic prosperity, voters there are less worried about jobs and more worried about Iraq. "I would have been more pro-Bush if not for the war," says Susan Parsons, 54, a physician who lives in the district. "I've got three sons, and I don't want them going to war."
The "better shot" reference in the Pryce discussion is a comparison to Bob Ney, who you all know by now. The Democrats will have a tough time unseating Ney, despite his possible involvement with Abramoff, because he's popular. Ney himself is obviously confident.
But many analysts say (challenger Zack) Space's only real shot at the seat would come if Ney were indicted, as many expect. "We wouldn't mind if the indictment came down sometime in mid-August," when Ohio law would prevent the GOP from replacing Ney on the ballot, says state Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern. Ney tells U.S. News, however, that he will stay in the race even if indicted: " I'm in this race till the end."
Meanwhile, Senate incumbent Mike DeWine is trying hard to distance himself from Bush, calling himself "an independent fighter for Ohio families," while still playing to the evangelical base:
And as the president and the GOP have redoubled efforts to mollify religious conservatives, DeWine has had to work hard to shore up his right flank. Conservatives were incensed at his role as one of the Senate's "Gang of 14" that struck a deal last year to avert a showdown over Bush's judicial nominees. But the confirmation of two conservative Supreme Court justices left him vindicated, and he was a cosponsor of the marriage protection amendment.
Ohio, of course, amended its own constitution to ban gay marriage (or, if memory serves, any relationship that approximates marriage) in 2004. DeWine's opponent, Sherrod Brown, is calling shenanigans on DeWine's attempt to look independent from Bush:
Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown, a seven-term congressman, is doing his best to lash him to both. "When George Bush wanted to go to war, Mike DeWine said 'OK,'" Brown says, weaving through supporters at the Fire Mountain Steakhouse in Mansfield, in central Ohio. "When George Bush wanted to let drug companies write the Medicare law and oil companies pass the energy bill, Mike DeWine said 'OK.'"
Brown's opposition to so-called free trade is noted in the report, but it doesn't fully give him credit for being a leader in the fight against CAFTA, which passed by only two votes in the House.
The US News piece also talks about the governor's race, which pits Ted Strickland against the infamous Ken Blackwell. Unfortunately, US News has joined the MSM blackout of coverage of Ohio's voting problems, mentioning nothing about them or Blackwell's role in 2004 as both campaign chair for Bush and overseer of the election process.
The report gives a good overall sense of what's happening here, despite obvious gaps like the Blackwell vote issue. But there's good news to be gleaned from it. Ohio, which has been in a republican stranglehold for years, is seriously in play.
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