RELEASE: "Stivers' Lead in Ohio's 15th Grows to 479"

Release:

Stivers' Lead in Ohio's 15th Grows to 479

Stivers Picks up an Additional 86 Votes in Union County Board of Elections' Official Canvass

Columbus, Ohio – Today, the Union County Board of Elections released its official results for the November 4th election. The final vote totals for the county resulted in a net gain of 86 additional votes for State Senator Steve Stivers in the race for Ohio's 15th Congressional District.

As expected, the Union County Elections Board also included in its final tally the net gain of 244 votes for Senator Stivers from Taylor Township's vote announcement on November 6th.

With the vote total in Union County finalized, Senator Stivers now leads Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy by 479 votes in the race. Since election night, and with well over 15,000 additional votes counted, Stivers has never trailed in this race.

Franklin and Madison Counties are expected to certify their totals by November 25th.

OH-15: Vets for Freedom Ad Supporting Stivers

OH-15 Update: EMILY's List, SUSA, and the Dispatch Endorsement

Pro-abortion group EMILY's List has endorsed Mary Jo Kilroy.

In Ohio, Mary Jo Kilroy is hoping to defeat Steve Stivers to replace outgoing mixed-record Rep. Deborah Pryce in the 15th district.

Stivers received a zero rating from Ohio NARAL, showing him to have a strong record against abortion.

"This seat has been in GOP hands since 1967 -- you can bet the right-wing special interests won't let it go without a fight. Kilroy needs $3 million to defeat Stivers and win this open swing seat for Democrats," the group says.

Miraculously, I was unable to find any mention of this endorsement on her website... Why is that?

Election Advantage takes a look at this Survey USA poll and makes the following statment:

Independent candidate and pro-life advocate could prove to be a fatal thorn in Stivers' side, as he wins 8% of the pro-life vote and 3% of the pro-choice vote (5% overall).

It all comes down to whether or not the district wants someone in office who is okay with killing babies or not. And these two "Also Ran..." candidates should think about that as well...

The Columbus Dispatch endorses Stivers in this race with this comment:

In the 15th District, covering western Franklin and Madison and Union counties, Steve Stivers of Columbus is the best choice. He was appointed to the state Senate in 2003 to replace Priscilla Mead and then was elected to his current term. Stivers has built a solid legislative record. While a senator, he served in Iraq as a lieutenant colonel with the Ohio Army National Guard and received the Bronze Star.

He promises to push for a balanced federal budget, noting he's ready to make the tough choices to accomplish that. He favors a two-year federal budgeting process, similar to Ohio's system, a law mandating balanced budgets and line-item veto powers for the president.

Stivers' reasonability, affability and willingness to work in a bipartisan way stand in contrast to Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy, his Democratic opponent.

But the real news is the total evisceration of Mary Jo Kilroy that takes place after that:

Kilroy, who lost a race for the 15th District seat two years ago, lacks Stivers' legislative experience, but perhaps even more important, she has shown that personal political ambition is more important to her than the public interest. This is demonstrated by her use of the county's Quality Contracting Standards to reject nonunion bidders on county construction projects and to steer contracts to union contractors to reward her labor supporters. In one case, Kilroy rejected an Ohio low-bidder in favor of an out-of-state union contractor that previously had been fined $23,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for four serious safety violations related to an accident that killed a worker in 2006. The same company also failed to pay an employee's pension while he served in Iraq, and the company's former president was sent to jail for tax evasion.

This is the kind of bad judgment that Kilroy offers residents of the 15th District.

That's going to leave a mark!

What is Wrong with These Ohio Republicans?

Over at RedState, Robert Bluey asked what was wrong with the 52 Republicans that hadn't signed on to the letter opposing the extension of the OCS drilling ban. Among the list cited were Ralph Regula (OH-16), Dave Hobson (OH-07), and Deb Pryce (OH-15).

I suspect that the answer really goes a little something like this, "Say, man, we're like retired already. Leave us alone!" I don't think that is an acceptable answer. Maybe that works for you, but I'd like to think that these Republicans are still capable of earning their paychecks and pensions. I can't say as I have heard anything substantive from any of the three on energy issues...and that is SAD.

As usual, if any of these three wish to correct the record by actually releasing something on the issue I am willing to publish it.

...but I'm not holding my breath...

Ohio Update

A couple of Ohio-centric items for you today...

PolitickerOH: Kilroy buys $220K for TV, Stivers reserves $1.5M -- That's a lot of airtime going to the Republican, my friends...

AG Race: Quinny has a poll out showing Cordray with an 18-point lead (PolitickerOH), but they think the GOP candidate is named Cripes...so I'm not sure how much I'm going to rely on them. At any rate, the response from Team Crites is accurate:

"The fact that an established statewide career politician like Richard Cordray has less than 50 percent of the vote when career prosecutor Mike Crites just got into the race shows how vulnerable Cordray really is. Our internal polling shows that the more people know about Cordray, the less they want to see him as Attorney General."

Which means this is going to be a race about name recognition and who can define the other guy first. And on that score, 18-points -- at this point -- ain't a lot to be crowing about...

Mary Jo or No?

Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy can't make the time to appear at the Plain City Steam Thrashers parade, so she sends a look-a-like to wave to the crowd.

You can support the REAL candidate, Steve Stivers, by contributing via our Slatecard over in the sidebar.

UPDATE: In an absolutely hilarious move, Team Mary Jo or No? whines that the Ohio GOP should apologize and take down the video. Of course, she admits that she was not at the event in question...so, I'm not real sure what she's complaining about. (HT: Justin Miller of PolitickerOH)

OH-15: Stivers Outraises Kilroy Last Quarter; Closes Fundraising Gap

The big news is that Steve Stivers crushed Mary Jo Kilroy in fundraising last quarter and is getting closer to closing the gap created by Kilroy having gotten in to the race a year before Stivers.

Over at PolitickerOH, Justin Miller lays out the facts in an objective manner and gives the political junkie the real scoop. Meanwhile, the Columbus Dispatch's blog, The Daily Briefing, does its very best to carry Kilroy's water while reporting the news that she got spanked again.

As far as fundraising goes, I do think that whatever the DCCC kicks in will put Kilroy over the top in fundraising. Will that translate in to a win? That depends on how she uses the money... If she manages her money like she did the contracts for the Columbus Clippers stadium, she'll blow it.

WMD Blast

Today will either be extremely busy or...not...at the day job, so I want to set up an open thread for comments and highlight a few links...

Over at Politics Extra, Howard Wilkinson is just now figuring out what you WMD readers knew a month ago: southern Ohio is the key battleground in the 08POTUS race.

OH-15: Loony Liberal Mary Jo Kilroy says "No Gas for You!"

Ken Blackwell has a very interesting piece for the Buckeye Institute that includes this very valuable nugget:

Speaking of profits, don't buy into this tax-the-company mentality. If people want to criticize how much oil executives are paid, that's one thing. But the profits go to you and me. Almost two-thirds of oil-company stock is owned by mutual funds and pension funds. That means taxing those profits would decrease the return on your 401k or IRA. And most of those pension funds serve union members. So taxing those profits would hurt middle- and working-class Americans. That's unacceptable.

When Democrats want to tax the oil industry out of business, they are targetting YOUR retirement...

Note to intrepid reporter Josh: You're welcome...would a hat tip kill ya?

Someone should ask Ohio Speaker Jon Husted if he still hates bloggers now that he is one... (HT: NaugBlog)

Obama Flip-Flop #31?

Boehner Op-Ed on TownHall: "When Will Democrats Heed America’s Call For More American Energy?"

MORE LATER...OPEN THREAD IN COMMENTS...

Primary2008: OH-15 (R)

Here is a race that I didn't really get to cover as much as I would have liked. And it looks like a pretty good one too:

Stivers, Steve (R) 52.96% 2,722
Wagner, Robert (R) 47.04% 2,418

OH-15: VIDEO: Ohio GOP Endorses Steve Stivers

OH-15: Stivers, Cash, Wagner and Principles

I have been rather pre-occupied with other races to say much about this OH-15 race, but I wanted to throw this out there...

In reference to this Columbus Dispatch blog post about Stivers' financial windfall, I received this bit in email from Team Wagner:

Yes....Money is important..But if money was the only criteria than Perot would be President and Huffington would be a senator from California.Here's what Dr. Wagner has to say about Mr. Stivers fund raising:

Points I would like to highlight:

1) 100% of my funding comes from Ohio contributors

2) 0% of my funding comes from PACs, I am truly the candidate of the people, not the powerful

3) I have held 0 fund raising events, and have preferred to focus on developing a platform of ideas that will better America. This platform is available on my website and titled Contract with Central Ohioans.

4) Deborah Price had all the money, all the establishment support, all the name recognition, was an incumbent and she won by less than 1,000 votes. She lost Franklin County. She had such difficulty because the Ohio Republican Establishment has betrayed their Republican voters.

5) I believe that if voters truly want change, money won't be the issue in this campaign. Ideas and confidence that the candidate voters select will represent true Republican values will be the deciding issue.

6) I am running on idea and leadership, not fund raising ability. My whole campaign is about sending a professional not a politician to Washington. I believe we have enough lawyers, lobbyists, career politicians and superb fund raisers in Washington, and I have no intention of adding to that bloated population. America simply needs more leadership in Washington, and business as usual is no longer acceptable to most voters. The major theme in the campaigns this year is change. I not only offer change, I offer change for the better.

Robert Wagner, Ronald Reagan Republican for the Ohio's 15th District

I hate classifying Wagner as an "also ran" but I think we all have to admit that with these kinds of numbers, this is an awfully big hill to climb. It is possible to do it, but what a journey that would be... Wagner's candidacy is something of a throwback to an age where citizen legislators actually had a chance and that would be refreshing.

Unfortunately, ideas alone will not get the job done. Look no further than the Fred Thompson campaign for president if you need big picture proof, but I have worked on similarly themed campaigns as well... Those types of success stories exist only in Hollywood anymore...as much as I really truly wish that we had government by the People, of the People, for the People...what we have is government by the Party, of the Powers that Be, for the Pork.

Yeah, I'm in a mood lately... Why do you ask? :)

Kilroy vs. Stivers on Pay-to-Play

New blogger OhioRedNovember replies to this absurd liberal blogger so I don't have to... Thanks OhioRedNovember! :)

Ohio GOP Finally Has a Candidate for OH-15

When Rep. Deb Pryce surprised everybody with her announcement that she was planning to retire, the first candidate that Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- called was State Senator Steve Stivers. Stivers had been resisting because he is about to get married to Ohio House Republican spokeswoman Karen Tabor later this month. Apparently, the happy couple have talked it over because Stivers is in...(Columbus Dispatch)

The Republicans finally got their man.

State Sen. Steve Stivers of Upper Arlington today will announce his candidacy for the 15th Congressional District seat, likely setting up a showdown with Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy in what could be the nation's premier congressional race in 2008.

"I've decided to run for Congress because I think we really need change in Washington," Stivers told The Dispatch yesterday. "There is way too much bickering and not enough working together to get things done."

Stivers is scheduled to hold a news conference today at 2:30 p.m. at Ohio Republican Party headquarters.

Over at RightAngle, where Matt Naugle teased this development last night, Matt brings up one key point in the comments:

He needs to run an excellent campaign. He hardly has a perfectly conservative record in the Ohio legislature, but Mary Jo alone is enough to make me a 100% Stivers supporter. Mary is absolutely repulsive.

I know of at least one more potential Republican candidate in this race who is making that exact same argument. More on that as it develops...

The timing of this announcement is perfect. As the political reporters are gearing up for elections tomorrow, the news cycle for today is going to be all Stivers all the time. It is exactly the sort of publicity that an announcement should have... Of course, tomorrow and Wednesday is going to be about winners and losers; but today belongs to Stivers. Simply brilliant...

Mottley for OH-15?

The Ohio Republican Party seems to be having trouble recruiting a candidate for Deb Pryce's US House seat. There is some speculation that former State Rep. Don Mottley may throw his hat in to the ring. Mottley had wanted to run for his old Ohio House seat, but the Montgomery County Republican Party has endorsed Peggy Lehner for that race. Since then, Mottley has changed his voter registration to Franklin county and has established residency in the Columbus area.

An Ohio House run in his new home seems unlikely as the Franklin County GOP has already endorsed a candidate, but check this out (Dayton Daily News):

He is not sure if a Ohio House seat is an option for him because the Franklin County Republican Party has endorsed Bill Schuck for the 22nd Ohio House seat. But Mottley said no one is endorsed for Pryce's 15th Congressional District seat.

"No one in authority has asked me to consider that," he said.

That sounds like he's sending up a trial balloon.

In a story about the Lehner endorsement, DDN's Ellen Belcher says this about Mottley:

Don Mottley is smart, digs into complicated issues and is paying a price in the party because he and state Sen. Jeff Jacobson don't get along. Both men had to leave the House at the same time because of term limits and both wanted the Senate seat that Jacobson now has. Mottley is the only candidate running in the three contests who has legislative experience.

He is experienced and irritates some of the right people...

Significant Number of Ohio Republicans Support Amtrak Subsidies

Corporate welfare is a blight on capitalism and Amtrak is no exception. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the normally fiscally conservative Rep. Jean Schmidt voted against an amendment designed to kill the $425 million dollar appropriation for the National Radilroad Passenger Corporation, also known as Amtrak. She's not alone... Here is the breakdown of the entire Ohio delegation:

Aye OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
Nay OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
Nay OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
Aye OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
Nay OH-5 Gillmor, Paul [R]
Nay OH-6 Wilson, Charles [D]
Nay OH-7 Hobson, David [R]
Aye OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
Nay OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy [D]
Nay OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis [D]
Nay OH-11 Jones, Stephanie [D]
Nay OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
Nay OH-13 Sutton, Betty [D]
Nay OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
Nay OH-15 Pryce, Deborah [R]
Nay OH-16 Regula, Ralph [R]
Nay OH-17 Ryan, Timothy [D]
No Vote OH-18 Space, Zackary [D]

Chabot, Boehner and Jordan got it right.

Schmidt, Turner, Gillmor, Hobson, Tiberi, "Cut and Run" LaTourette, Pryce, and Regula all got this one wrong.