It's not very often I can give an endorsement to a candidate on more than just political terms, so when I have the opportunity to do so I feel it's important to take that opportunity.
The newly-drawn 31st District of the Ohio House of Representatives contains a good chunk of the center of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Those of you who know the area will recognize place names like Clifton, Norwood, Silverton, Walnut Hills, Madisonville, St. Bernard. This is a shift from the 31st of the past decade, which was centered around west side neighborhoods like Price Hill, Westwood, Covedale, Riverside, Saylor Park, etc.
The current representative, a native of Cincinnati's West Side and a member of a well-known political family, is a conservative Democrat. She is anti-choice and opposed to marriage equality. In the old 31st, that was...well, not acceptable, but better than the GOP alternatives. Everyone was happy to have a Democratic vote about 60 - 70% of the time. However, the new 31st is considerably more progressive - and more reliably Democratic. By best estimates, the new 31st is 69% Democratic, and contains the Clifton area, the progressive heart of Cincinnati (Clifton has the University of Cincinnati).
The current officeholder recently moved to Clifton Heights and has the backing of her fellow state House Dems, although the Party is supposed to stay neutral in primary races. A former Democratic state rep, who last held elective office 20+ years ago and who is also anti-choice and anti-equality, is also in the race.
Luckily, there is also an honest and fighting progressive in the race - Luke Brockmeier. To quote his Facebook page:
Luke Brockmeier is a Cincinnati native and Princeton High School graduate. He earned his bachelor of arts degrees in Philosophy and French at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Luke has lived in District 31 for ten years, and has owned his home in Madisonville for five years
He is currently the Public Affairs Coordinator for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, where he has organized support for:
* the Affordable Care Act
* the “no co-pay” contraception initiative
* the Medicaid Family Planning Expansion
* the Ohio Prevention First Act
* the Act for Our Children’s Future
* the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act
and has organized to oppose:
* the Ohio Post-viability ban
* the Ohio Insurance Prohibition
* the Federal Insurance Prohibition
* the Ohio Judicial Bypass Bill
* the Ohio Heartbeat Bill
* the Federal Pence Amendment
He has worked with numerous coalitions to combine resources and advanced shared missions, including Take Back the Night Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Coalition for Family Health, Ohio Domestic Violence Network, the Cincinnati Regional Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS Prevention, and the Mount Auburn Chamber of Commerce.
On top of this, I can give a personal endorsement. I
know Luke. He and his wife are very active in the Cincinnati arts scene, and I got to know him during my Cincinnati years (I now live in the Atlanta area, but lived in Cincinnati for 13 years and pretty much consider it home). He is, as they say, good people...and he'll be a great fighter for his district and for progressive causes.
The battle for the soul of the nation is joined in Ohio, and we need people like Luke Brockmeier to fight for us. Please support him.
WF
