[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.

[Faith]

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

[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]

Here is the Map:

[jokemoke]

county Party Chairman Dennis Lieberman, who called it "pure politics at its worst."

Only if you are a DemocRAT:-) Those Ohioans who are pubbies are VERY happy! Way to go Ohio GOP!!!!!

Now, can you try to rid our wonderful state of Marcie Kaptur?

[Gritty]

Well, here's the latest skinny on who's who in the Ohio Congressional delegation.

2000 House Votes

	HOUSE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	2000	1999	YOS	Life
1	CHABOT S	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	100	96	6	98
2	PORTMAN R	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	-	A	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	87	76	8	88
3	Hall T	+	+	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	+	-	-	-	-	+	A	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-	21	12	22	16
4	OXLEY M	-	+	+	A	+	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	A	+	+	+	A	-	+	+	+	+	+	81	76	20	86
5	GILLMOR P	+	+	+	+	-	-	+	-	+	+	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	76	80	12	80
6	Strickland T	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	12	12	6	19
7	HOBSON D	+	+	+	-	-	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	-	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	72	80	10	78
8	BOEHNER J	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	A	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	87	91	10	94
9	Kaptur M	A	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	A	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	A	-	+	+	-	-	18	4	18	14
10	Kucinich D	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-	+	-	+	-	-	16	20	4	18
11	Jones, S.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	2	0
12	KASICH J	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	92	91	18	88
13	Brown S	A	A	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	0	8	10
14	Sawyer T	+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	0	14	3
15	PRYCE D	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	-	-	-	+	+	+	+	80	56	8	76
16	REGULA R	+	+	+	-	-	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	76	64	28	65
17	Traficant J	+	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	-	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	60	52	16	31
18	NEY B	+	+	+	-	-	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	A	+	+	+	+	+	83	84	6	81
19	LaTOURETTE S	+	+	+	-	-	-	+	-	+	+	+	+	-	+	+	+	+	+	-	-	+	-	+	+	+	68	64	6	69

REPUBLICANS are in capital letters.
YOS = Years of Service
Life = Lifetime Rating from the American Conservative Union

House Vote Summaries

#	Description	#	Description	#	Description	#	Description	#	Description
1	US-Taiwan Mil. Ties	6	Budget Res. 1	11	Tax Limit Amendment	16	Kosovo Operations	21	Tax Funded Abort.
2	Product Liability	7	Budget Res. 2	12	Tax Code Term.	17	Missile Production	22	Cuban Embargo
3	Tax Revisions	8	Spending Caps	13	Natn'l Mon. Desig.	18	Ergonomic Stand.	23	Soc. Sec. Tax
4	Minimum Wage 1	9	Military Training	14	Land Conservation	19	NEA Funding	24	Estate Tax Repeal
5	Minimum Wage 2	10	Part'l-Birth Abort.	15	Gov't Shutdowns	20	Gun Safety	25	Marriage Penalty

[libbytarian]

Double good news, I think I just got moved from Tony Halls to Republican John Boehner's district and there will be a viable candidate to oppose Tony Hall. Most of the people around here who are Dems don't seem to be all that impressed with Tony Hall. They grip that he pays little attention to Dayton and is more interested in World hunger. Seems to me the only time he makes news is when he is in some Third World country to promote an end to hunger. Libby

[Robert_Paulson2]

Tony Hall... is allegedly a pro-life democrat. supposedly, one of the few who are left.

[madprof98]

Of all the Democrats in Congress, I think I would be saddest to see Tony Hall go. He is a rarity in politics today--a sincere Christian who puts his faith over his Party allegiance. There was a great article about him in Christianity Today back in 1997, called "The Hungry Congressman." It's available online here.

[Mr. Morals]

There have been rumors that Rep. Hall of Ohio might very well get a job as head of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

Reportedly, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan wants him for the job because of his 'humanitarian' trips to North Korea.