State Democrats stay optimistic

COLUMBUS - Despite polls suggesting a Republican wave is brewing that could rival the 2006 Democratic landslide, House Democrats Tuesday insisted they will withstand any onslaught to hold onto their newfound majority.

Armed with a 3-1 cash advantage, House Speaker Armond Budish (D., Beachwood) said races fought door to door at the local level will defy national and statewide trends.

"We took the majority in January, 2009," he said. "The economy was tanking at that point. The economy started tanking in earnest in September of 2008 when Lehman Brothers fell in scandal. … We came in in January, 2009, and I stood in the well of the House and talked about how we were going to be focused on job creation. And that's what the House Democrats have done."

In 2008, when President Obama carried Ohio at the top of the ticket, Democrats grabbed the majority of the Ohio House of Representatives for the first time in 14 years. They now hold a 53-46 majority because of, in part, several borderline, GOP-held districts that narrowly tipped their way

A swing of at least four seats would give Republicans back the majority. House Republicans said yesterday that their polling shows they are "comfortably" ahead in enough districts to make that happen.

"We are encouraged to hear the Democrat leadership whistling past the graveyard with Governor Strickland," House Minority Leader Bill Batchelder (R., Medina) said. "If we had the same poll numbers they had, we would try to cover them as well."

Among the targets that Democrats talked about specifically yesterday were two Republican-held seats in northwest Ohio-the 46th District, held by Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova), and the 81st, held by term-limited Rep. Jeff Wagner (R., Sycamore).

In the 46th in the western suburbs of Lucas County, Democrats are putting up former county commissioner and Maumee mayor Harry Barlos. Ms. Sears, then an appointed member of the chamber, withstood the Obama tide of 2008 to win her first full term comfortably.

"That district is very receptive to a moderate in the mold of [Republicans] Mark Wagoner and Lynn Olman," Rep. Matt Szollosi (D., Oregon), the second highest-ranking member of the House, said. "These were representatives who were pro-business but were moderate in their views.

"A strong argument can be made that Barbara Sears is not moderate in her views," he said. "Contrast that with the stature of Harry Barlos, who was a very popular mayor and successful county officer holder. …"

But Rep. Matt Huffman (R., Lima), chairman of the House Republican campaigns, said Ms. Sears has proven herself to be a knowledgeable resource on budget issues such as Medicaid.

"We've said since the beginning that there were six seats with incumbents that we thought would be targeted districts, and hers was one," he said.

"But we've also said that if you won in 2008 as a Republican, you're going to win in 2010, especially given the flip-flop in the environment."

In the 81st - including Sandusky County, western Seneca County, and southern Ottawa County - Democrats are banking on Seneca County Commissioner Ben Nutter. His Republican opponent is Rex Damshroder, who held the seat before Mr. Wagner.

Contact Jim Provance at:

jprovance@theblade.com,

or 614-221-0496.