Okay, check this map out. The highlighted green is the fifth district, which we've been following all week. Look right below it, to the left. That's Ohio's 8th congressional district, which also happens to be the home of one John Boehner -- the House minority leader.
So his neighboring district is in serious distress. The broke NRCC has already dropped $410,000 into the state, or about 15% of their remaining cash-on-hand, and they've got about their entire Ohio and NRCC operations in the district trying to stave off unfathomable defeat in an R+10 district -- one that Bush won 61-39 in 2004.
But one Republican is steering clear -- the aforementioned Boehner.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has no plans to campaign in his home state for GOP state Rep. Bob Latta, who is facing a competitive fight to hold a solidly-Republican seat in a special election next Tuesday.
Latta spokesman Matt Parker confirmed that Boehner is not scheduled to campaign in the district before the election. Boehner has not campaigned with Latta since he won the party's nomination on November 6.
“Bob Latta’s campaigning on his own merits. He’s campaigning his own way because he wants to go to Washington to do his own thing,” said Parker. “He has his own agenda. He doesn’t have to have John Boehner by his side.”
Boehner is, however, campaigning at a rally with the Republican nominee in a Virginia special election this weekend, aiding state Del. Rob Wittman in a less-competitive race on the same date.
In addition, Boehner also offered Wittman a rare public assurance earlier this week that he will work to secure the candidate a spot on the House Armed Services Committee.
Republicans had a nasty primary, and this may be a result of some of lingering hard feelings. It truly is odd to see Boehner go all out for the VA-01 race, while essentially leaving the desperately endangered Latta to the wolves.
At a time when the GOP faces its most hostile political environment in decades, internal divisions threaten to compound their pain.
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