Phil Heimlich has an essay up at RedState that talks about his announcement. Here is a taste of the red meat section:Rep. Schmidt and I can argue who is the best candidate to hold this seat. But why don’t we look at what national experts say. In early October, Campaigns & Elections magazine wrote about seats being targeted by the DCCC, and concluded about the Second District in Ohio:I'm not sure I would rely on the pundit class for my argument as to why I would be a better candidate than an incumbent. I have been in the position of having to answer the question, "Why is your guy better than the guy we have?" in the Pierce race and I have to say that using a media source is pretty weak. He gets better when he lays out Rep. Schmidt's record, which is really the only reason a challenger has to run against a primary incumbent. And while I'm not a big fan of the incumbent's record when it comes to pork, she is a conservative on other issues that matter.
“While Chabot is a perennial target -- partly because of his district's makeup and partly because Democrats think he is more conservative than his constituents -- Schmidt in the neighboring 2nd has become a top target strictly because of her personality. Schmidt has drawn a serious primary opponent in former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich. Democrats and Republicans alike know the seat will only be competitive next year if Schmidt clears the GOP primary.”
In other words, if I win the primary, the seat stays Republican; if Rep. Schmidt wins the primary, it likely goes Democrat.
Aside from the practical political reasons to nominate the strongest candidate, my goal is to work to restore honor and dignity to this position. You deserve a representative in Congress who is respected and who respects others – including those he or she disagrees with.
You also deserve a representative who will be a good steward of your tax dollars. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported recently that Jean Schmidt has become the biggest pork spender in the tri-state congressional delegation. As The Enquirer noted in October, Rep. Schmidt inserted $14.5 million in pork spending in the latest budget — more than any local Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana member of Congress of either party. Among the items Rep. Schmidt has supported through her votes for pork spending are:
* $300 million for sand to replenish beaches in California and New Jersey.
* $75 million for oyster restoration in New York, Maryland, Virginia and Connecticut.
* $229,000 for dairy education in Iowa.
* $180,000 for “hydroponic tomato production.”
* A $500,000 swimming pool in California.
* A million dollars for a “Mystic Aquarium” in Connecticut.
Our neighboring Representative Steve Chabot voted against each of these — just as I would have.
I am also not entirely convinced that the 2nd district is still as conservative as it once was. People are moving out of Cincinnati like there is a plague or something, and I'm not real sure they hung around in the district. My point: I believe even Rob Portman would have trouble in this district today.
All in all, it was a pretty good introductory piece for Heimlich, but I think once people figure out what's going on here in the district, it won't matter much.
One thing I did notice is that the piece has nothing to say about Tom Brinkman... Curious...
