(Tony) Hall's Stronghold Threatened; GOP Likely to Gain Control of 3rd District (in Dayton Ohio)

Dayton Daily News ^ | January 20, 2002 | Ken McCall and Lawrence Budd

[Dog Gone]

The move, however, has enraged some Democrats both in the Statehouse and Montgomery County, including county Party Chairman Dennis Lieberman, who called it "pure politics at its worst."

Districts are already an arbitrary thing, and the only thing that influences how they are re-drawn is politics.

Losers always squeal, but there's no other way to do it.

Glad to see this one is breaking the GOP way.

[Torie]

Here is a revised chart, moving Hall's seat into the tossup category, previously posted here.

	GOP	Tossup	Net GOP
Arizona		1	
Colo		1	
Conn	-1	1	
Florida  3			
Georgia	-2	1	
Indiana	-1	1	
Iowa	-1	1	
Kansas		1	
Mary    -2	1	
Mich	 2		
Minn		1	
Miss	-1	1	
Nevada		1	
New Ham	-1	1	
New Mex	-1	1	
NY	-1		
NC	-1	1	
Ohio		1	
Okla	-1		
Penn	 2		
Tenn	-1	1	
Texas	 2	1	
Utah	 1		
Totals	-4	17	4.5

            GOP    Dem
Others			
Larsen	            1	
Simmons     1		
Hostettler  1		
Baldwin	            1	
Israel		    1	
Capito	    1		0

[Dan from Michigan]

I THINK Strickland was a pro-gun dem so he ran ahead of the ticket(especially if he's local). In my county Mike Rogers(65%) ran 5 points ahead of Bush(60%) so he won the seat despite Ingham(all) and Genesee counties(Suburban Flint).

Tony Hall is for slave reperations I believe, and that could cause some problems.

[Torie]

I didn't intend to post this as breaking news. Sorry about that. I think breaking news must be the default option, which should be changed.

[Faith]

It would be wonderful to see the 3rd district go Republican. Mike Turner should run a good race.

[richardthelionheart]

Your right. He is for slavery reparations. I called his office and went off on the individual who deals with this subject in his office. The hate of this person towards white people was intense. He was telling me that my ancestors and myself were indebted to black people, it was sick. I am sure Mr. Hall feels the same way, he just cant admit it publicly and get elected. His hate of his own people amazes me. This issue is a sure winner if the GOP uses it. However most GOP candidates have been emasculated and are afraid of the R word. How pathetic? If we dont use this issue in most races we are going to have a hard time winning. I suggest using it in South Dakota to see were tommy daschle and timmy johnson stand!

[Torie]

Here is some more gossip about the Ohio redistricting from the Ohio Plain Dealer:

GOP gives in on NE Ohio voter districts

01/18/02

Stephen Ohlemacher

Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus

- It doesn't happen often, but Statehouse Democrats got a taste of political power this week, and they used it yesterday to redraw the political map of Northeast Ohio.

GOP leaders agreed yesterday to move the new congressional district of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a Cleveland Democrat, out of Summit County, squeezing the whole thing back in Cuyahoga County, where it is now.

The Republicans also agreed to add two more Akron wards to the new district of Rep. Tom Sawyer, an Akron Democrat, helping him shore up his political base, Republican and Democratic leaders said last night.

In exchange, the Democrats agreed to provide the votes to help the Republicans avoid delaying the May 7 primary or holding a second primary.

Statehouse Democrats had complained because an earlier Republican map could have weakened the political bases of both Kucinich and Sawyer.

Usually, such complaints hit deaf ears at the Statehouse, where the Republicans have controlled the entire state legislature and the governor's office since 1995.

"We're not completely happy, but there are some areas that we felt came out OK," said Ohio House Minority Leader Dean DePiero, a Parma Democrat.

"Satisfaction means different things to different people," DePiero said.

Even with the changes, Sawyer's district includes only about 40 percent of the city of Akron. The district is solidly Democratic, but it includes Youngstown and Warren, potentially attracting Democratic primary challengers from Trumbull or Mahoning counties. Two potential Democratic candidates, State Sen. Robert Hagan of Youngstown and State Rep. Anthony Latell of Girard, said last night they are considering running in the district, even if it means taking on Sawyer in a primary.

Sawyer complained earlier in the week, saying he didn't like Summit County being split into three congressional districts. It is now in two. He did not return repeated phone calls yesterday.

U.S. Rep. James Traficant, a Mahoning County Democrat, could also be a primary opponent. Traficant has said he will run for re-election, despite facing a federal trial next month on corruption charges. His district is being carved into three others, and he has not decided which one to run in.

Kucinich said: "I'm grateful to the Republican leadership for any consideration they have given to me and to my constituents. I hope to be able to continue to serve the people who elected me."

State Rep. James Trakas of Independence, Cuyahoga County Republican chairman, said he was unhappy that his party gave in to the Democrats on the map. Trakas wanted to stretch Kucinich's district into Summit County, and to give U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, a Lorain Democrat, a more Republican district. Instead, Brown gets a relatively safe district in parts of Lorain, Cuyahoga, Medina and Summit counties.

"You're talking about 80,000 Republicans [in Cuyahoga County] who are going to be represented by very liberal Democrats, with almost no chance of beating them," Trakas said.

The House State Government Committee voted 8-4 last night to approve the new map, sending it to the full House for a vote on Tuesday. The Senate is expected to quickly concur.

Ohio lawmakers must redraw congressional district boundaries every 10 years to account for population changes documented in the census. Ohio will lose a seat in the U.S. House, going from 19 to 18, because the state's population grew slower than other parts of the country.

The Democrats garnered their new, if short-lived, power through Republican missteps. The Republicans took so long to agree on new congressional district boundaries that they would have been forced to delay the May 7 primary without Democratic help to approve a new map as an emergency bill. Emergency measures require two-thirds majority votes, meaning the Republicans would need at least one Democratic vote in the Senate and seven in the House.

House Republican leaders floated the idea of holding a separate congressional primary in late summer, at a cost of about $7 million. But the costly option was widely criticized.

Senate Minority Leader Leigh Herington, a Portage County Democrat, said his caucus would provide the necessary vote, even though he's not entirely happy with the new map. DePiero said he still needs to talk with his caucus, but Republicans said they expect House Democrats to go along.

Under the new map, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Cleveland Democrat, would get a safe Democratic seat in eastern Cuyahoga County. U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette, a Madison Republican, would get a safe Republican district in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties and parts of Summit, Portage, Cuyahoga and Trumbull counties. The district of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Toledo Democrat, would stretch east all the way into Lorain County.

Plain Dealer Politics Writer Mark Naymik contributed to this story.

For Educational and Discussion Purposes Only; Not for Commcercial Use

[chimera]

Hmmm, a mixed blessing, this. I too would rather have more 'Pubs in our state delegation, but I think Hall will still have an edge because of name recognition and service. The GOP had better recruit a strong candidate or Hall may eat their lunch for them yet again.

The one thing I can say about Tony Hall is that he is pro-life, and for that I give him credit. Such a stand takes no small measure of courage in a party that remains solidly pro-death. But, other than that, Tony is a party-line Dem, so if a pro-life 'pubbie can get the seat from him, its a net plus, IMO.

[Torie]

I am sure you are tickled pink that Sherrod Brown will still be with us, no? Isn't he one of your favorites :)

[Torie]

I think Turner was recruited (or recruited himself) because you notice the article says they popped his home into the district by stretching the boundary a bit. You are right though. Hall will not be easy to beat. Among other things, he has a relatively moderate voting record (about a 30% conservative rating on economic issues, and 50% on social issues, and fairly liberal on foreign issues). I think he is a devout Christian and pro life. (Not a very good fit for my politics, but whatever.) That is why I put the district into the toss up category.

[ohioman]

Being someone who is from Hall's district, I (and many others) will be glad to see this liberal crybaby working in the private sector.

[Torie]

Here is the Map:

[VA Advogado]

I THINK Strickland was a pro-gun dem

Pro-gun black democrat. WOW. He should be put in a museum.

[Torie]

Stickland is not black. He is a white minister psychologist actually.

[Dog Gone]

Is Traficant vulnerable?

[Common Tator]

I am sure you are tickled pink that Sherrod Brown will still be with us, no? Isn't he one of your favorites :)

I caught Sherrod getting a Monica from one of my news reporters in my Radio Station Van, if that is what you mean. It was what you call your Eye Witness News event. Or as my Program Director said, as a news person, she sucks and she did. I am pretty certain she did not get an exclusive. Sherrod is a real mommies boy from Mansfield Ohio who has a lot of ambition and is a fan of everything Kennedy.

My personal opinion is that Ohio in the next congress will have 2 fewer Democrats and one more Republican. The Democrats lose one seat by redistricting. No incumbant Republican is in danger of going down in defeat. They carved up Trafficant so he is redistricting toast. And the Hall district may very well change hands. All the other Republicans and Democrat seats are pretty secure.

The one major change in Ohio in the last 10 years is Columbus is now a Democratic town. Most Ohio population centers including Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo are Democrat towns. It used to be that Columbus and Cincinnati could almost balance Cleveland and Toledo... but no more.

Gore came within 3 points of winning Ohio. I think Gore's decision to drop out of Ohio 3 weeks before the election cost him the presidency more than Florida did.

But Dickie Gephardt is not going to be speaker. The Gerrymandering is not what it used to be, but the net result is a Republican advantage this cycle. They will hold the house.

[Torie]

I would assume he is history. He certainly is if he is in jail. But he might slip in if he has more than one Dem opponent in the primary (Sawyer and one of those other Dems the article mentions). It is hard to imagine though Trafficant pulling any votes in Summit County, which is why Sawyer was squawking so much about wanting more of them.

[PhiKapMom]

Tony Hall is a jerk who actually didn't like Wright-Patterson AFB and the military. Without West Dayton, he would never have stayed in office! The blacks voted for him in huge numbers. They moved the vast majority if not all of Wright-Patt to the Republican's district who had Greene County where I used to live.

Tony Hall is as liberal as they come!

[Dan from Michigan]

Strickland is white. There are two (usually) pro-2a black dems in congress. Hilliard(Bama) and Bishop(Georgia). I think they are in rural areas as well. There are 3 pro-2a black dems in Detroit as well. One of them, Ed Vaughn, used a gun to defend his son from a mugger.