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BRIEF LOOK AT CONTESTED OHIO HOUSE PRIMARIES
Having reviewed
the contested congressional and Ohio Senate primaries in the previous
two issues of The Political Edge, we now turn our attention to the Ohio House contests:
House
District 4 (Democrats)
The Democratic primary features a study in contrasts: Simeon Talley
(D-Bluffton),
a 22-year old Bluffton University senior originally from Columbus against
Dennis Shreefer (D-Lima),
grandfather of two and a former radio talk show host who’s been in Lima
for more than a decade. The
edge goes to Shreefer, who has better name recognition from having hosted
the “Topical Heat Wave” talk show on WIMA in Lima.
Whoever wins will have his work cut out for him against Matt
Huffman (R-Lima) in November, as the last time a Democrat from Allen
County served in the Ohio House was in 1934.
House
District 5 (Republicans) Though three Republicans are seeking to succeed Rep. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster)
in this heavily Republican district, the race really boils down to a
contest between Kyle Farmer (R-Baltimore) and Jerry Stebelton (R-Lancaster). Stebelton is the managing partner of his own Lancaster law
firm, where he concentrates on personal injury, wrongful death, business
litigation, and domestic relations cases.
He is a former Lancaster councilman and school board member who
should do well in the county seat, where upwards of 45% of the primary
ballots will likely be cast. In
part because he loaned his campaign nearly half of the $36,000 he’s
raised to date, Stebelton will be able to out-spend Farmer by about
3 ý-to-1. Farmer, a social studies teacher at the Fairfield Career Center
making his first bid for office, is attempting to offset Stebelton’s
financial advantage by mounting an aggressive door-to-door, get-out-the-vote
campaign. He also should
and needs to, if he’s going to win run stronger than Stebelton in
the growing northern part of the county: Baltimore, Pickerington, and
Bloom, Liberty and Violet Townships.
Doug Leith (R-Pleasantville),
an auctioneer and former member of the Liberty Union-Thurston School
Board, is the third GOP candidate.
House
District 6 (Democrats)
Jeff Bretz (D-North Baltimore) and James Neu (D-Perrysburg) are squaring off for the right to oppose
Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) in November. Bretz served 11 years on the North Baltimore Village Council
and has the official endorsement of the Wood County Democratic Party.
House
District 8 (Democrats)
With incumbent Rep. Lance Mason (D-Shaker Heights) opting to run for
the Senate rather than re-election to the House, four candidates are
seeking to replace him: Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), an elder law attorney who has a syndicated column that
appears in both the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Columbus Dispatch; Thaddeus Jackson (D-Bedford Heights),
a high school teacher in Cleveland; Marcia McCoy (D-Cleveland), a former political director for the
Cleveland AFL-CIO; and Isaac Powell (D-Shaker Heights), who works for the Orange City Schools,
has been active in the leadership of the Ohio Association of Public
School Employees, and has run for office three times previously, most
recently losing a 2005 bid for Shaker Heights Council. Budish is the favorite based on his prolific fundraising alone.
In addition to a $190,000 personal loan Budish made to his campaign,
he’s also raised about $165,000 and had over $294,000 on-hand as of
the April 12 pre-primary filing deadline; none of the other three candidates
raised enough to even be required to file a campaign finance report.
House
District 9 (Democrats)
Another set of contrasting candidates.
One is former Rep. Barbara Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights), who was forced out of office due to
term limits six years ago and is now attempting a comeback. The other is first-time candidate Julian
Rogers (D-Cleveland Heights), a former senior assistant to Cleveland Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett.
Rogers has the backing of numerous prominent Cleveland-area Democrats,
including Cong. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, Senate Minority Leader C.J. Prentiss,
Sen. Eric Fingerhut, and others, and has raised about three times as
much money as has Boyd. However,
Boyd, who is now employed by the Children’s Defense Fund, has the backing
of Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and the name recognition
built from four previous successful campaigns.
Expect a close contest.
House
District 10 (Democrats) Seven that’s right, seven! candidates are running to replace term-limited
Rep. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland). With so many candidates and no clear frontrunner, the race
is difficult to handicap. The
candidates are: Nelson Cintron (D-Cleveland), Marilyn Bagley (D-Cleveland), Ronnie Jones (D-Cleveland), Bill Newsome (D-Cleveland), Freddie Moore (D-Cleveland), Eugene Miller (D-Cleveland), and Jocelyn Travis (D-Cleveland).
House
District 11 (Democrats) Another crowded field of candidates, but an easier contest to assess.
The favorite is Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland),
a former legislative aide to outgoing Rep. Annie Key (D-Cleveland). Williams fell just short of getting the
necessary votes to secure the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party endorsement,
but does have the support of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus and the
Ohio AFL-CIO. Of the five
other candidates seeking the party’s nomination, her closest competition
is coming from T.J. Dow (D-Cleveland), an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor. Dow challenged Key in the primary in both
2002 and 2004, capturing 25% of the vote two years ago and 32% two years
prior. Also in the race
are the Rev. Stephen Sullivan (D-Cleveland), a former member of the Cleveland School Board, Mamie Mitchell
(D-Cleveland),
Cleo Busby (D-Cleveland), and Marcella King Piazza (D-Cleveland).
House
District 13 (Democrats) Rep. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood) faces a token challenge from homemaker Ben Perry
(D-Lakewood).
House
District 14 (Democrats) This seat has been vacant since Dale Miller (D-Cleveland) was appointed
to the Senate in late February, as House Democrats opted to let the
voters decide who should replace him in the House. Three candidates are on the ballot. The caucus was split between Mike Foley
(D-Cleveland)
and former Rep. Erin Sullivan Lally (D-Cleveland). These two candidates are now locked in a tight race for the
nomination and, ultimately, the appointment. Foley, an attorney and executive director of the Cleveland
Tenants Organization, is much more liberal than is Sullivan and has
endorsements from, among others, the Service Employees International
Union, the Communications Workers of America, Cong, Dennis Kucinich,
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, and Rep. Mike Skindell.
Sullivan represented the 18th House district from
1999-2002, and parts of that district are now in the 14th
district. Former House Minority Leader and current
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern and former House Minority
Leader and current Parma Mayor Dean DePiero are supporting her. The other candidate is Bill Ritter
(D-Cleveland),
a public school history teacher.
He had the endorsement of the United Auto Workers, but it was
recently pulled following a flap over a letter he wrote in which he
criticized Foley for his support of gay marriage.
House
District 18 (Democrats) Two familiar names are doing battle for the right to challenge incumbent
Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville). Former Congressman and Ohio House member Ron Mottl (D-North
Royalton)
is seeking a return to Columbus after an absence of nearly a decade. He is opposed by John Celebrezze (D-North
Royalton),
a retired educator seeking office for the first time. Celebrezze is clearly the preferred choice of organized labor
and of many prominent local Democrats. His uncle was Anthony Celebrezze, a former Cleveland mayor,
and many other Celebrezzes have sought or served in public office. Either candidate could make things interesting
for Patton in the General Election in this swing district.
House
District 20 (Democrats) Vying for the right to oppose Rep. Jim McGregor (R-Gahanna) in November are Beverly Campbell
(D-Gahanna)
and Ed Nyhan (D-Bexley). Campbell is a retired trial attorney currently
working as a financial advisor.
Nyhan is a retired information systems manager who ran unsuccessfully
for Bexley mayor in 2003. There
are probably too many other opportunities for Democrats in Franklin
County in 2006 for McGregor to become a top Democratic target, no matter
who wins the primary.
House
District 21 (Democrats) Given the number of Democrat candidates running in some of the other
Franklin County districts, it’s somewhat surprising that only two candidates
are running for the party’s nomination in this open seat contest in
a district that, at best, is marginally Republican.
Rep. Linda Reidelbach (R-Worthington) is retiring. Both Jean Herendeen-Ackerman (D-Powell),
a public school teacher, and Dean Hernandez (D-Westerville), the director of investment operations
for a Dublin financial firm, are first-time candidates. The winner will meet Blendon Township
Trustee Kevin Bacon (R-Columbus), an executive with Farmers Insurance.
House
District 22 (Democrats) Two years ago, Rep. Jim Hughes (R-Columbus) won re-election to a third
term by beating commercial realtor Brian McCann (D-Columbus) with over 60% of the vote. This year, McCann is hoping for another
shot against Hughes, but he’ll have to defeat three other Democrats
to get it. The candidate
that would probably give Hughes the stiffest test is John Carney
(D-Columbus), an associate at the law firm Porter
Wright who focuses on health care law issues. Carney has raised nearly four times as much money as his three
opponents have combined. However,
as a first-time candidate facing two candidates with better name recognition
McCann from his previous run and Jimmy Stewart (D-Columbus)
he’ll need to take advantage of his financial advantage to even get
the chance to face Hughes. Stewart
is a computer software designer.
Jan Fleming (D-Columbus),
a former bank vice president who currently teaches middle school, rounds
out the field.
House
District 24 (Democrats) Two years ago, there wasn’t even a Democrat on the ballot to face Rep.
Geoff Smith (R-Upper Arlington).
This year, there are four hoping to earn the right to run against
him. The difference reflects
the current political landscape and the fact that John Kerry beat George
Bush in the 2004 presidential election in this district by 51%-48%. Once reliably Republican, the 24th
is now evolving into a swing district.
Of the four Democrats, real estate broker Ted Celeste (D-Columbus) is the clear favorite. The unsuccessful 2000 U.S. Senate candidate
and brother of former Gov. Dick Celeste could make this a competitive
General Election contest. He’ll
first have to get by James Agler (D-Hilliard), firefighter Chris Courtney (D-Hilliard), and T.J. Johnson (D-Hilliard).
House
District 26 (Democrats) Apparently, turnabout is fair play. If not fair, at least it shouldn’t come as a surprise. After knocking off then-Rep. Larry Price
(D-Columbus) in the primary two years ago, Rep. Mike Mitchell (D-Columbus)
is locked in a tight battle to try to hold the seat for another term. Despite being the incumbent this time
around, Mitchell did not receive the endorsement of the Franklin County
Democratic Party a snub perhaps in retribution for ousting Price. Mitchell’s chief rival this year is Tracy
Heard (D-Columbus). Heard, the daughter-in-law of former Columbus
School Board member Loretta Heard, runs her own public relations/political
strategy firm. Clarence
Glover (D-Columbus) is also in the race.
House
District 32 (Democrats) Eve Bolton (D-Cincinnati), a teacher and former Hamilton County Recorder, is looking
to score an upset of frontrunner Dale Mallory (D-Cincinnati). Mallory is the brother of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and
a retired GE employee. He
has been plagued by fallout from a local controversy that resulted in
his being impeached as president of the West End Community Council. Also in the race are Yvette Barbara
Baldwin (D-Cincinnati)
and Eric Wilson (D-Cincinnati).
House
District 41 (Republicans) Can a celebrity who is a first-time candidate prevail over a two-term
councilman from the district’s largest city? We’ll find out in this GOP primary that pits former Ohio State
and NFL linebacker Tom Cousineau (R-Akron) against Twinsburg Councilman Steve
Murphy (R-Twinsburg). Conventional wisdom is that Murphy may
be too conservative for this swing district, and that Republicans would
have a better shot if Cousineau is their standard-bearer against freshman
Rep. Brian Williams (D-Akron) in the fall.
House
District 42 (Democrats) His wife couldn’t beat incumbent Rep. John Widowfield (R-Cuyahoga Falls)
in 2004, so Paul Colavecchio (D-Cuyahoga Falls) is hoping he’ll have better luck this
year. But, despite the
fact he may benefit from some residual name recognition, he’s the underdog
against first-time candidate Adam Van Ho (D-Hudson). Van Ho is an assistant Summit County prosecutor.
House
District 43 (Democrats) In an effort to win a seat that, despite it’s Democratic leanings, Republicans
have held since 1994, the party is looking to Steve Dyer (D-Tallmadge). The former Akron Beacon Journal reporter
who is currently an attorney in the Summit County Executive’s office
should prevail over fellow first-time candidate Chris Stoll (D-Akron), a computer analyst and Iraq war veteran.
House
District 44 (Democrats) This solid Democratic district has been represented by a Sykes since
1983 and that’s not likely to change in 2006. Despite a spirited primary challenge by Patrick Bravo (D-Akron),
former Rep. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) looks to be on track for a return to Columbus. Presently an assistant professor at the
University of Akron, Sykes would succeed his wife, incumbent Rep. Barbara
Sykes (D-Akron), who succeeded him when he was forced out by term limits
in 2000.
House
District 57 (Democrats) The candidate Democrats believe can oust Rep. Earl Martin (R-Avon Lake)
in this very competitive district is Matt Lundy (D-Elyria). Ironically, Martin actually replaced Lundy on Avon Lake council
when Lundy left the state in 1995. Lundy is now an assistant safety service director for the city
of Elyria. His primary
opponent is small business owner Alan Caruso (D-North Ridgeville).
House
District 58 (Republicans) Two Republicans are vying for the GOP nomination in the district open
as a result of Rep. Kathy Reed’s (R-Norwalk) decision not to seek re-election.
Dan White (R-Norwalk),
the retired CEO of Geotrac (now LSI Flood Services), has significantly
outraised his opponent, Amherst Councilman Nick Brusky (R-Amherst), and should win the primary.
House
District 60 (Democrats) Because of his nearly universal name recognition and strong support
from organized labor, Sen. Bob Hagan (D-Youngstown) is the favorite in this six-way Democratic
primary to succeed term-limited Rep. Sylvester Patton (D-Youngstown). But some vulnerabilities were exposed
when Hagan lost last year’s race for mayor of Youngstown, and three
other candidates each with a base of support are making certain
he can’t take anything for granted.
Rufus Hudson (D-Youngstown)
is a Youngstown councilman and the only African-American in a district
that is one-third black. Richard
Gozur (D-Campbell)
is a high school principal and the only candidate from Campbell, while
Dan Yemma (D-Struthers)
is a Struthers councilman and the only candidate from Struthers. Mike Latessa (D-Youngstown) and Ian Stublarec (D-Youngstown) are also seeking the nomination.
Whoever wins is assured of election in November, as no Republican
filed to run.
House
District 61 (Republicans) Both former Stark County Auditor Brant Luther (R-Alliance) and perennial candidate Randy Pope
(R-Alliance)
hope to return this swing seat, which has been held by Rep. John Boccieri
(D-New Middletown) for the past six years, to GOP control. Both are former Alliance City Council
members. Luther is currently
a staff attorney for the Stark County Probate Court. Pope, a Longaberger laborer, ran unsuccessfully against Boccieri
in both 2002 and 2004, drawing 39% of the vote in ’02 and just 34% two
years ago. Because of his
poor showings against Boccieri, Columbus Republicans believe Luther
would be a stronger General Election candidate, and he has the support
of Cong. Ralph Regula and other local GOP leaders.
On the other hand, Pope’s previous campaigns provide him with
a name recognition advantage in the GOP primary.
Luther is counting on his 4-to-1 fundraising lead to help him
overcome this deficit.
House
District 62 (Republicans) Greg Schmidt (R-Willoughby), who failed to capture the GOP nomination two years ago, is
back for another try and is the favorite this time around. The HR consultant faces Jason Andrzejewski
(R-Eastlake), a first-time candidate.
House
District 67 (Republicans) Four names will appear on the ballot, though only three are actively
campaigning. Shannon
Jones (R-Springboro)
is hoping to make the conversion from campaign activist she has run
several congressional campaigns for GOP candidates in southwestern Ohio
to candidate, and has most of the Warren County GOP leadership supporting
her bid. Keith Nixon (R-Lebanon), an attorney, is hoping to follow in
the footsteps of his grandfather, the late former House Minority Leader
Corwin Nixon. John Meyer
(R-Mason), a small business owner, is hoping
for a miracle. Jones and
Nixon are locked in close, expensive contest to succeed outgoing Rep.
Tom Raga (R-Mason).
House
District 72 (Democrats) The order of finish in this three-way Democratic primary is fairly predictable:
Dale Henry (D-Springfield) will win, followed by Kevin O’Neill and Richard
Spangler (D-Springfield). Henry
is a former Springfield mayor and city commission member who ran twice
previously for the Ohio General Assembly, most recently in 2000. He is a former General Motors autoworker
and has strong support from organized labor. O’Neill is a real estate developer and
small business owner who is also a former Springfield mayor. He has been a Springfield City Commissioner
since 1992. Spangler was
the party’s nominee against former Rep. Merle Kearns in 2004, capturing
40% of the vote. The winner
faces appointed Rep. Ross McGregor (R-Springfield) in this swing district. A Henry vs. McGregor race would likely
be one of the year’s most closely watched House campaigns
House
District 73 (Democrats) Looking to follow term-limited Rep. Bill Hartnett (D-Mansfield) are
Jay Goyal (D-Mansfield)
and Ellen Haring (D-Mansfield). Both are first-time
candidates, but that’s about where the similarities end. Goyal, 25, is the vice president of Goyal
Industries, a small manufacturing company started by his father. He has raised $59,000 more than twice
as much as Haring much of it from a network of Asian Indian donors
businessmen throughout Ohio. Haring
is a retired teacher that has been active in local community organizations.
The Haring surname is familiar to the residents of the area,
as her husband’s family owns several businesses, including a real estate
company. Democrats will be counting on whichever candidate wins the
primary to keep this swing seat in Democratic hands against Mansfield
Republican Phil Holloway in November.
House
District 74 (Republicans) Four candidates are seeking to replace term-limited Rep. Steve Buehrer
(R-Delta). Former newspaper
editor Marcus Bowling (R-Wauseon) is a slight favorite. He is the only candidate from Defiance
County, which is the largest county in the district and should account
for about 40% of the primary vote.
Business owner David Swanson (R-Bryan) is the only candidate from Williams
County, and he has dumped nearly $25,000 of his own money into the campaign.
But he has been hurt by the revelation that he is actually a
registered Democrat and for admitting he voted for Kerry for President
in 2004 surprises certain not to go over well in this conservative
Republican area that went almost 2-to-1 for Bush. Bruce Goodwin (R-Defiance), a career educator, has some name recognition
in Defiance County, where his wife is the County Auditor. Jim Volkert (R-Hicksville), whose father is a former mayor of
Hicksville, ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination for county commissioner
in 2002 and is a real wild-card in this race: he has little support
among party leaders, but is an effective speaker, has experience as
a campaign consultant, and has committed $10,000 in personal money to
his campaign.
House
District 75 (Republicans) The race may be a bit closer than might have been expected, but Paulding
County Commissioner Tony Burkley (R-Paulding) poses no real threat to defeating Sen.
Lynn Wachtmann (R-Napoleon). After serving two terms
in the Senate, Wachtmann will return to the House, replacing term-limited
Rep. Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon).
House
District 76 (Republicans) Another race where the outcome isn’t really in doubt. Expect teacher and former Findlay High
School football coach Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) to handily defeat truck driver Jeremy
Swartz (R-Findlay). The GOP nominee is a safe bet in the General
Election in this heavily Republican district where Rep. Mike Gilb (R-Findlay)
is not seeking re-election.
House
District 78 (Democrats) Outgoing Rep. Derrick Seaver’s (R-Minster) former aide, Adam Ward
(D-Urbana),
is the favorite over two other candidates in the Democratic primary. And, despite the district’s strong Republican
tilt, Democrats believe Ward could be competitive in the General Election,
particularly if the GOP nominee is John Adams (R-Sidney). Ward, currently an employee of Citizens
National Bank, must first defeat Jason Dorsey (D-Sidney), a 20-year old student at Edison Community
College, and restaurant manager Thomas Matthew (D-Wapakoneta).
House
District 78 (Republicans) After a one-election cycle hiatus, John Adams (R-Sidney) is back as a candidate for the Ohio
House. The retail furniture
store owner lost the GOP primary in 2000 and then came up short against
Rep. Derrick Seaver (R-Minster) in 2002.
(Seaver was still a Democrat at the time.) Adams’ chief rival in 2006 is Steve Hess (R-St. Paris), a farmer and Champaign County Commissioner;
one of the two will undoubtedly capture the nomination. Neither Ron Bennett (R-St. Paris), a training instructor at a food equipment
manufacturer, nor Mike Galluzzo (R-St. Paris), who finished fifth out of five candidates
and garnered only 246 votes in losing the nomination to Adams in 2002,
are threats to win.
House
District 79 (Republicans) Not that Rep. Diana Fessler (R-New Carlisle) was ever in any real jeopardy,
but the recent disclosure that her primary opponent, Joe Hartzell (R-Piqua),
was twice convicted of driving under the influence probably sealed his
fate. The Dayton Daily
News, which had previously endorsed Hartzell,
even withdrew its recommendation. Fessler will face a rematch with her 2004 opponent Dave Fisher
(D-Tipp City) in November. She
won that race easily, 66%-34%.
House
District 83 (Republicans) Rep. Tony Core (R-Rushylvania) is being challenged in the GOP primary by Michael
King (R-Caledonia),
a student at the University of Cincinnati. Core should cruise to victory.
House
District 88 (Republicans) If the most vulnerable incumbent in next week’s primary is Rep. Mike
Mitchell (D-Columbus), second on the list is Rep. Danny Bubp (R-West
Union). Paul Hall (R-Williamsburg), the owner of a successful insurance
agency, is trying to oust Bubp after just one term. Hall is a former Brown County Republican Party chairman who
might have been the favorite had he run two years ago when this seat
was open. Many are asking
why he opted to wait. (He
says the timing wasn’t right for family reasons.)
To win now, however, he must take out an incumbent who has the
support of the Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee and the formal
endorsement of the Clermont County Republican Party.
About half of the votes cast in this primary will come from Clermont.
House
District 91 (Republicans) A three-way race in a four-county district with no apparent favorite.
Gary Burkholder (R-Pataskala),
owner and president of NorthCoast Research, is an Etna Township Trustee
who has twice ran unsuccessfully for Licking County Commissioner. He also served two terms as a Republican State Central Committeeman
and, as such, is the only candidate of the three to have appeared on
the ballot in Hocking and Perry Counties. Bill Hayes (R-Pataskala), an attorney in private practice, has
raised the most money and appears to have the support of party regulars
in Licking County. Chuck
Wellman (R-Circleville)
is the president of Wellman Funeral Homes in Circleville and is making
his first appearance on the ballot.
About one-third of the votes should come from Licking County,
and Wellman is no doubt counting on Burkholder and Hayes to split those
votes. The obvious conclusion is that the race
will be won or lost in Hocking and Perry Counties.
House
District 92 (Democrats) Athens City Councilwoman Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) and Mike Struble (D-Syracuse) of Meigs County. Geography alone around 70% of the votes
cast in this primary will be cast by voters in Athens County makes
Phillips the favorite.
House
District 99 (Republicans) Bill Pikor (R-Thompson) and Donald Rogers (R-Kinsman) are seeking the right to challenge
Rep. George Distel (D-Conneaut) in November. Pikor, a self-employed manufacturer’s representative, was Distel’s
’04 opponent, losing 67%-33%.
Rogers is a machinist at Great Lakes Cheese. While Pikor should again win the primary, his chances in the
General Election this year won’t be any better.
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