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TAKING
ONE FOR THE TEAM
In Ohio, if a party’s nominee for office withdraws at least 80
days prior to the general election, the party has the opportunity to
replace that nominee on the general election ballot. The deadline for
choosing a replacement is 76 days before the general election, which
fell on August 18th this year.
This year, a dozen candidates who won the March 2nd primary subsequently
withdrew. Replacement candidates were chosen in seven of these districts.
Five spots on the ballot were left unfilled, meaning the remaining candidate
will face no major party opposition in November.
The new candidates who now find themselves on the Nov. 2nd ballot:
Senate District
2
Josh Kontak (D-Bowling Green) withdrew.
Kontak’s replacement is Nathan Nickens (D-Sylvania). Nickens is
a 22-year old student at Bowling Green University. A Sylvania native,
he was an organizer last year for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s
presidential campaign. He’ll do well just to hold Sen. Randy Gardner
(R-Bowling Green) to 65% of the vote or less.
Senate District 16
Melissa Mahoney (D-Dublin) withdrew.
Katherine Thomsen (D-Grandview Heights) succeeds Mahoney on the ballot,
and the 26-year old Ohio News Network employee faces a very difficult
battle in this heavily Republican district. She’s opposing appointed
incumbent Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus).
Senate District 30
Larry Stacey (R-Columbiana) withdrew.
Stacey withdrew even before the primary, and was replaced by Michael
S. Wilkes (R-Columbiana). Wilkes’ only chance to defeat Rep. Charlie
Wilson (D-St. Clairsville) would be if the Republican Senate Campaign
Committee decided to dump substantial financial resources into the
race. Incumbent Sen. Greg DiDonato (D-New Philadelphia) is term-limited.
House District 31
Pete Witte (R-Cincinnati) withdrew.
Witte withdrew shortly after the primary to pursue business opportunities.
His replacement is Terry Weber (R-Cheviot), an assistant Hamilton County
Public Defender. While Witte may have had a shot at knocking off Rep.
Steve Driehaus (R-Cincinnati), Weber’s chances are decidedly less
favorable.
House District 47
Steve Goldman (R-Toledo) withdrew.
After Goldman’s withdrawal, Lucas County Republicans tabbed attorney
Michael R. Goulding (R-Toledo) to take his place on the ballot. He
specializes in employment, probate, and real estate law with the Toledo
firm of Shindler, Neff, Holmes, Schlageter & Mohler. Rep. Peter
Ujvagi (D-Toledo) won his first term two years ago by a better than
two-to-one margin, and it’s not likely Goulding will do much better.
House District 90
Howard Hoffman (D-Lexington) withdrew.
Hoffman was the lone Democrat on the House side to withdraw, and his
departure means there won’t be a rematch of the 2002 general election.
Hoffman lost that race to Rep. Thom Collier (R-Mt. Vernon), 67%-33%.
Duane Grassbaugh (D-Howard), a Howard native, farmer and animal genetics
consultant, replaces Hoffman.
House District 99
Jim Von Tesmar (R-Ashtabula) withdrew.
William Pikor (R-Thompson), a technical account manager for Columbus-based
National Plastics & Chemical Corp., was chosen to replace Von Tesmar.
Pikor’s challenge is to defeat Rep. George Distel (R-Conneaut),
who won with 66% of the vote two years ago. His chances of doing so
are slim.
THERE’S
ONLY TWO WAYS TO RUN: SCARED…OR UNOPPOSED
Whether it’s a result of the way state legislative districts were
redrawn in 2001, the costs – both personal and financial –
of running for office, or the caliber of many of our current lawmakers,
there are 24 General Assembly candidates on the ballot this November
that face no major party opposition. That’s the highest such total
in more than a decade.
On the Senate side there are three candidates without a major party
opponent, and all are Republicans. On the House side there are 21 such
candidates – more than one in every five districts. Of these, 11
are Democrats and 10 are Republicans. Seven incumbent legislators are
getting their second straight free pass, while another, Rep. Shirley
Smith (D-Cleveland), will see no Republican opponent for the third election
in a row.
The 24 candidates without major party opposition in 2004:
Senate District
12
Sen. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) has no Democrat opponent, but does face
a rematch of his 2000 race against independent Jack Kaffenberger of
Rossburg. Kaffenberger got 12% of the vote four years ago.
Senate District 22
A Chamber Choice candidate in 2000 when he won an open seat with 58%
of the vote, Sen. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) gets a breather this time.
Senate District 26
Sen. Larry Mumper (R-Marion) captured 62% of the vote in 1998, when
he ran for the two years left on the term he was appointed to fill
out, and 63% in winning a full term two years later. That must have
been enough to dissuade anyone from challenging him this year.
House District 4
Rep. John Willamowski (R-Lima) gets a free pass in his final re-election
campaign.
House District 5
A write-in candidacy in the March primary by Kelley Handwork (D-Canal
Winchester) fell 14 votes short of the 50 necessary to qualify for
a spot on the general election ballot. As a result, Rep. Tim Schaffer
(R-Lancaster) gets a second straight free ride.
House District 8
The GOP is making life easy for freshman Rep. Lance Mason (D-Shaker
Heights). He had no opponent in his first race two years ago and is
again unopposed.
House District 10
Her heavily Democrat district probably has more to do with it, but
an 86%-14% thumping by Rep. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) of her GOP
opponent in her first race in 1998 has kept Republicans out of the
general election in this district ever since.
House District 13
An uncontested re-election awaits freshman Rep. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood).
House District 15
His predecessor in the House, current Parma Mayor Dean DePiero, was
unopposed in both 2002 and 2000, and now appointed Rep. Timothy DeGeeter
(D-Parma) finds himself without Republican opposition this year. However,
he has an independent challenger that he must take seriously: Parma
Ward 5 Councilwoman Michelle Stys. Stys won her first two terms on
council running as an independent. Though she won re-election to a
third term in 2003 as a Democrat, she has been at odds with the local
Democrat party establishment since she first took office.
House District 23
A second straight election with no opponent whatsoever for Rep. Larry
Wolpert (R-Hilliard).
House District 24
Two years ago Rep. Geoff Smith (R-Columbus) beat Pat Byrne (D-Columbus)
60%-40%. While Byrne is back for a rematch in 2004, he runs this time
without benefit of the Democrat party label.
House District 26
After upsetting freshman Rep. Larry Price (D-Columbus) in the Democrat
primary, Mike Mitchell (D-Columbus) gets to coast into office. Ken
Besser (R-Columbus) won the GOP primary, but later withdrew and was
not replaced on the ballot.
House District 32
Rep. Catherine Barrett (D-Cincinnati) gets to run without opposition
for her fourth and final term.
House District 44
Rep. Barbara Sykes (D-Akron) won her first term in 2000 with 79% of
the vote. She hasn’t seen an opponent – in either a primary
or general election – since, and won’t again this November.
House District 48
Freshman Rep. Edna Brown’s (D-Toledo) opponent withdrew and wasn’t
replaced by the GOP, giving her an unobstructed path to a second term.
House District 51
The Democrats aren’t running a candidate against Supreme Court
Justice Paul Pfeifer, and they aren’t running one against Rep.
Scott Oelslager (R-Canton) either.
House District 54
Nothing like being appointed to your seat and then not having any opposition
in your first election. That’s the good fortune that has befallen
Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Hamilton).
House District 66
After having to battle four opponents in the GOP primary, Joe Uecker
(R-Loveland) has no opponents in the general election.
House District 67
Back-to-back free rides for Rep. Tom Raga (R-Mason).
House District 73
His Republican opponent withdrew and wasn’t replaced by the Richland
County GOP. So, Rep. Bill Hartnett (D-Mansfield) will capture his final
term without challenge.
House District 74
A failed write-in bid by William Flanary (D-Defiance) leaves Rep. Steve
Buehrer (R-Delta) without opposition for the second straight time.
House District 78
After being near the top of the GOP target list two years ago, Rep.
Derrick Seaver (D-Minster) now finds himself without so much as an
opponent. The Republican primary winner dropped out and was not replaced.
House District 80
Two years ago he had to run against another incumbent following redistricting.
This year, House Minority Leader Chris Redfern (D-Port Clinton) can
spend all his time helping out Democrats in other parts of the state,
because he doesn’t have an opponent of his own.
House District 94
Rep. Jim Aslanides (R-Coshocton) is one of the seven legislators without
major party opposition for the second election cycle in a row. In fact,
he’s without any opposition at all for the second election cycle
in a row.
YOUNGSTOWN
MAYOR BREAKS WITH PARTY
Last week, Youngstown Mayor George McKelvey, a Democrat serving his
second term, announced at a press conference that he was endorsing the
re-election of Pres. George W. Bush, a Republican. Youngstown, in the
heart of the heavily Democrat Mahoning Valley, is Ohio’s eighth
largest city. All eight have Democrat mayors, and the other seven mayors
all support Sen. John Kerry for president.
McKelvey is perhaps the most prominent individual in Ohio to cross party
lines on a presidential endorsement this year. While such an endorsement
will sway few voters from the Kerry column to the Bush column, it does
serve as an embarrassment to the Kerry campaign – particularly
in a state as critical to both candidates’ fortunes as Ohio.
According to the Bush campaign, other notable Ohio “Democrats for
Bush” are former State Rep. Mike Verich of Warren and Bexley Mayor
David Madison. While the Kerry campaign has a “Republicans for
Kerry” movement, no elected officials or other recognizable Ohioans
appear to have joined.
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