David Krikorian, frontrunner in the race to unseat Republican Jean Hittite Microwave Schmidt, has scored a rare primary endorsement from Veterans' Vision. VV is a national non-profit advocating for homeless veterans since 1993 and promulgator of the Veterans' Bill of Rights.
Veterans' Vision has endorsed fifty "champions of the U.S. Congress" from both parties (mostly Democrats). John Kerry and Tom Harkin are among the endorsees. Krikorian is the only one not a sitting member of Congress, and one of only two who are competing in primaries considered competitive. The other is Congressman Joe Sestak, now challenging Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary for US Senator from Pennsylvania.
The veterans community is especially important in OH-02, which has a historically high military participation rate (home to U.S. Grant).
The constituency is even more important to Jean "Marines Don't Cut and Run" Schmidt, who is said by reliable sources to be infuriated at the endorsement. In the primary battle against two opponents, Krikorian is the only candidate to have an endorsement from a veterans organization, from a labor union, from sitting congressmen (two), and from an incumbent mayor who lives in the district.
Veterans' Vision, also called the Circle of Friends for American Veterans, has a website at: http://www.vetsvision.org/...
Click on "Veterans Bill of Rights" to see the members of Congress who do and do not support the VBR.
From the Krikorian campaign's media release on Wednesday:
There are approximately 250,000 homeless American Veterans on our streets any given night and the Department of Veterans Affairs directly funds less than 15,000 beds for homeless veterans. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for troops returning from combat zones is a leading cause of homelessness among veterans. Yet, the Government Accountability Office has said that only about one half of VA Medical Centers provide adequate counseling for PTSD and six of the seven that do, cannot handle their current caseloads.
Scott Schoonover, spokesman for the VETERANS’ VISION and a US Navy veteran, said, "We are excited to see a candidate like David Krikorian running for Congress. He truly understands the problems facing our military families and how to help them in these tough economic times."
From the willingness of unions, national organizations, and sitting congressmen to issue primary endorsements of Krikorian, one might get the idea that the general election campaign is on, even before the May 4 primary in twelve days.
That would be correct. It's Krikorian v. Schmidt and the fur is flying, cruelty-free or not, as the case may be.
Neither of Krikorian's primary opponents has even achieved basic name recognition outside his home county (with seven counties in the district). On the other hand, Schmidt faces three primary opponents, one of whom -- Mike Kilburn, a commissioner of Warren County -- has succeeded in becoming a more visible presence than Scmidt herself. A few days ago, a large Kilburn sign went up outside the Republican Party headquarters of Pike County, at the other end of the district from Warren.
COAST, a conservative group in Cincinnati, has endorsed two of Schmidt's primary opponents, including Kilburn. Schmidt, in other words, is facing an insurrection within her own party, while Krikorian is uniting Democrats and Independents.
In Ohio's second district, ABS stands for Anyone But Schmidt, a sentiment shared across party lines. It is virtually certain that Krikorian will win his primary by a larger margin than the incumbent Schmidt, if she wins hers at all.
As always, things promise to remain interesting in OH-02.
To find out more, volunteer, or donate to the Krikorian campaign visit: http://ilikedave.org
NOTE: I am a volunteer supporter, I do not work as staff for any campaign. Views expressed here are my own.
POSTSCRIPT: I forgot to mention that Mean Jean burned her bridges with veterans advocates in 2007, when she said that revelations of horrible conditions at Walter Reed were
"overblown by both politicians and the media."
For more see: http://embarrassedbyschmidt.com/