Our good friend Matt Dole has a new name to throw in to the discussions about who might be facing off against freshman Zach Space next time.
The name: Mike Carey, current President of the Ohio Coal Association.
Carey ran for the state legislature against my good buddy Fluffy Wilson in 1996 and took 48% of the vote in a district that included Belmont, Noble, Monroe and northern Washington County. Anyone who knows their river region knows that his showing was quite a feat. Anyone who doesn't know their river region, let me put it into terms you might understand - Bob Dole, candidate for President in 1996 took 29%. Yeah, Carey could be a solid candidate.
The good news on Mike Carey is that he is a charismatic young "go-getter" with proven abilities to raise money and garner votes. He has been the successful leader of Ohio Coal for several years, and took a leadership role during the 2004 Presidential race operating a 527 group: Americans For Coal Jobs.
During that cycle, and in that leadership role, Carey proved himself as a leader-ready-for-primetime. The group was featured on Fox News and in the LA Times and Chicago Sun-Times.
Carey makes sense for the 18th, in my opinion, because he has had success in the most liberal portions while maintaining his stand as a strong conservative. How'd he do it? He took his message to the people, he stood up for what was right, and he shared the values of the district.
Those are three things that already put him way out in front of his would-be opponent Zack Space.
Matt is the "go to" guy for this race and has recently been given the honor of blogging for the NRCC's "
The Real Blog" which is covering the real story of the freshman Democrats.
