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TEN DAYS
AND COUNTING
With the May 7 primary just over a week away, the fields have shaken
out and the races are entering the crucial last week.
Nearly 300 candidates filed by February 21 to run for the Ohio General
Assembly in 2002. Some had their petitions ruled invalid and others
have since withdrawn for numerous reasons, but there are still contested
primaries in 34 of the 116 House and Senate districts up this year.
In two districts, both parties have primary races.
These races are about evenly divided between the two major parties,
with 19 Democrat primaries and 17 GOP primaries. A big difference between
this year and 2000 is the lack of minor party candidates. In 2000, the
Libertarian Party fielded candidates in 28 races and the Natural Law
Party 17. Neither party will even be able to field candidates this year,
due to the fact that neither party’s candidate received at least
five percent of the total vote cast for president in 2000, the minimum
threshold required by law to retain official minor party status and,
thus, ballot access.
Most of the primary activity can probably be traced to last year’s
reapportionment process. The shifting of district lines created five
districts that don’t contain an incumbent at all and substantially
altered the existing districts of many incumbents. Not surprisingly,
there are contested primaries in all five new districts. In addition
to reapportionment, the number of contested primaries is also boosted
by term limits. Contested primaries are occurring in nine of the 14
districts that have term-limited legislators.
Ten incumbents – including eight Democrats – face challenges
from within their own party. Of the ten, three are appointed incumbents
while four are freshmen. The only veteran incumbent lawmakers being
challenged are Democrat Reps. Sylvester Patton and Shirley Smith and
GOP Rep. David Evans.
The winner for the primary with the most candidates is shared by House
Districts 10, 18, and 78. Each district has a primary with five candidates
– and each also had a sixth candidate who was disqualified or withdrew.
What follows is a brief review of this year’s Ohio Senate primaries
and Ohio House primaries in districts 1-50. Districts 51-99 will be
covered in the next issue of The Political Edge.
A
BRIEF LOOK AT OHIO SENATE PRIMARIES
Senate District 11: (Republican) – Neither Toledo Republican,
Phillip Barbosa or Kwame Mu’Min, stands much of a chance against
Rep. Theresa Fedor in this strong Democrat Lucas County district open
because Sen. Linda Furney is term-limited.
Senate District 15: (Democrats) – Rep. Ray Miller should
have little trouble with Dennis Thompson, whose last run for political
office was in the Democratic primary for Secretary of State in 1974.
Sen. Ben Espy is term-limited.
Senate District 23: (Democrats) – Incumbent Sen. Dan Brady’s
primary opponent, accountant Ross Perna, Jr., withdrew earlier this
week after word of his 1998 conviction for stealing from his church
surfaced.
Senate District 23: (Republicans) – Senate President Dick
Finan mentioned the 23rd as one of his two "Tier Two" races
and pledged financial support for Dick Ress. Ress, a bailiff in Cuyahoga
County Common Pleas Court and a member of the Parma School Board, also
has the Cuyahoga County GOP endorsement. His opponent is Joseph Neelon,
who works as a bus driver.
Senate District 29: (Democrats) – Thomas Robinson of Canton
will face psychologist Jan Schwartz, also of Canton. Schwartz, who captured
the Stark County Democratic Party's endorsement, is the likely winner.
Should she win, she will face current Rep. Kirk Schuring in November
in this open seat contest to replace term-limited incumbent Sen. Scott
Oelslager.
A BRIEF LOOK AT OHIO HOUSE PRIMARIES
House District 8: (Democrats) – Rep. Lance Mason of Shaker
Heights, the appointed incumbent and former district director for U.S.
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, appears to have a fairly easy road to winning
his first full term. Bedford Heights resident Terri Honer, a middle
school teacher and first-time candidate, is the only candidate challenging
Mason.
House District 10: (Democrats) – The addition to this district
of two Cleveland east side wards and part of a third following reapportionment
has resulted a five-way free-for-all. Incumbent Rep. Shirley Smith is
still favored, but is facing strong challenges from Alex Sanchez and
David Dettman and must reach out to voters unfamiliar with her. Sanchez
is a first-time candidate and works for a behavioral healthcare non-profit.
He was previously the executive director of the National Hispanic Bar
Association and a corporate attorney. Dettman, also a first-time candidate,
is director of political products for a political technology company.
As the incumbent, Smith has the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party endorsement.
The Plain Dealer weighed in in support of Sanchez and hinted that Dettman
is the second best choice. Two other candidates, social worker Brian
Hodous and retired policeman Fred Taylor, round out the field.
House District 11: (Democrats) – Two Clevelanders, first-term
Rep. Annie Key and challenger T.J. Dow, are locked in what appears to
be a very tight race. Dow, a teacher in the Cleveland Public School
system, captured The Plain Dealer endorsement. Key, however, has the
Cuyahoga County Democratic Party’s endorsement.
House District 12: (Democrats) – Recently appointed incumbent
Rep. Michael DeBose, a former member of the Cleveland School Board,
faces three others in an effort to win a full term. His competition
comes from Tommy Bell, a community organizer, Frank Wagner, a former
Garfield Heights Councilman, and Henry Warren, Jr., a current Garfield
Heights Councilman.
House District 13: (Democrats) – With the withdrawal of
incumbent Rep. Mary Rose Oakar, the Democratic primary is a battle between
two first-term Lakewood City Councilmen. Michael Skindell is a plaintiff's
lawyer and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich's campaign manager. Edward FitzGerald
is an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor and former FBI agent. Skindell
has the backing of the Cleveland AFL-CIO.
House District 18: (Republicans) – Six Republicans filed
to run for this GOP-leaning open seat. Five are still running after
Strongsville City Councilman Michael Gallagher dropped out. Gallagher
withdrew after Gordon Short, a CPA and past president of the Greater
Cleveland Young Republicans, won the Cuyahoga County GOP endorsement.
Short, who ran unsuccessfully for Cuyahoga County Treasurer in 2000,
is one of three remaining candidates with a shot to win the primary.
The others are Thomas Patton and Greg Schneider. Patton, a first-time
candidate and former Democrat, is a marketing consultant for an office
equipment company and also a 10-term president of the local Treasurers
& Ticket Sellers Union. Schneider is a fireman and the lobbyist
for the Northern Ohio Fire Fighters. Maritza Perez, the coordinator
of multicultural programming at Cleveland State University, and Robert
Wehagen, Jr. are also on the ballot. Incumbent Rep. Erin Sullivan decided
not to seek re-election.
House District 22: (Democrats) – Gary Josephson, former
President of Communication Workers of America Local 4501, faces marijuana
advocate Ken Schweickart. Whoever wins the Democratic primary faces
an uphill climb against Rep. Jim Hughes.
House District 25: (Democrats) – The battle between Dan
Stewart and Chad Foust, both of Columbus, presents an interesting contrast
in this southern Franklin County district. Stewart, a lobbyist for the
Service Employees International Union, should appeal to the blue-collar
voters on Columbus’ west side neighborhoods. Foust, a former aide
to Sen. Eric Fingerhut, should appeal to the many gays and lesbians
who call Columbus’ Short North and Victorian Village neighborhoods
home. Stewart grabbed the Franklin County Democratic Party's endorsement,
while Foust picked up the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats of
Central Ohio.
House District 28: (Republicans) – Jim Raussen, a 2000 OCCPaC
Chamber Choice candidate, is back for another try after losing by less
than 2% to Rep. Wayne Coates. He has Speaker of the House Larry Householder's
backing in the GOP primary, but Sharonville’s Doug Mink is running
anyway. Raussen, a senior claims specialist for Great American Insurance,
shouldn't have much trouble winning the primary, setting up a rematch
against Coates in a district much improved for Republicans following
redistricting.
House District 33: (Democrats) – Two candidates familiar
to the voters, Minette Cooper, a member of Cincinnati City Council,
and former councilman Tyrone Yates are locked in a competitive battle
to win this inner-city Cincinnati open seat. LeRoy Hopkins is also in
the race.
House District 39: (Republicans) – It doesn’t really
matter who wins the GOP primary; Rep. Dixie Allen should have no trouble
dispatching either of the candidates. Dayton’s Brian Whitaker,
who teaches at a private school, was the GOP candidate against Rep.
Fred Strahorn in 2000 and took just 24.5% of the vote. His opponent
is Jose Davila of Dayton, who owns his own consulting firm and is Vice
Chair of the Republican National Hispanic Association.
House District 42: (Democrats) – Attorney George Miller
and Kelly Keleman, both of Stow, are seeking the right to run against
appointed Rep. John Widowfield. Miller, who ran unsuccessfully in 2000
for Summit County Common Pleas Court, is the frontrunner in the primary.
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