Republicans look to regain control of Ohio House

Rex Damschroder, left, hopes to keep the 81st District Republican. Democrats pin their hopes on Seneca County Commissioner Ben Nutter, right. LONG / BLADE Enlarge

<img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/jpg/TO66067417.JPG> <b><font color=red>VIEW:</b></font color=red> <a href="/assets/pdf/TO73045725.PDF" target="_blank "><b>Legislative candidates in the region</b></a> July 25, 2010 Enlarge

COLUMBUS - What a difference two years can make.

In 2008, with Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, everything seemed to break Democrats' way as they added control of the Ohio House to their tightening grip on state government for the first time in 14 years.

Suburban districts that were traditionally Republican narrowly tipped the other way, prompting a confident Ohio Democratic Party to boast that long-elusive control of the Ohio Senate would be next.

But now that newfound power teeters on the edge of a knife. Four seats stand in the way of the GOP regaining the majority in the House at a time when the top of the Democratic ticket, Gov. Ted Strickland, is locked in his own battle for survival against Republican John Kasich.

Republicans are buoyed that 2010 is not 2008, when they suffered a net loss of seven House seats, or post-scandal 2006, when they turned over every statewide executive office except one to Democrats.

"The [political] environment was the issue," said Michael Dittoe, director of the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee. "It did not favor Republicans. It was a wake-up call to Republicans running for House seats across the state that they should not assume they're going to win.

"They have to work hard every single day to connect with voters and bring home the message that they'll represent them in the way they want to be represented," he said. "I believe us losing the House was largely due to [President Obama] and the anti-Republican sentiment that happened in 2008."

But Democrats contend that the President was not the deciding factor in many of the Democratic victories in 2008.

"A lot of the seats that we're running in this year, where we're playing offense and defense, weren't Obama districts," said Liz Brown, director the Ohio House Democratic Campaign Committee.

"They were in Strickland country where Strickland does well and where we still won in 2008 [when the governor wasn't on the ticket]," she said.

"Debbie Phillips [in the Athens area's 92nd District] didn't go for Obama [in 2008]. Jennifer Garrison's [93rd District in the Marietta area] didn't go for Obama, but Strickland's a more formidable top of the ticket for us in a lot of places."

House Democrats, who now control the chamber 53-46, are also in the rare position of being better financed than in the past. As of June, the caucus had a robust $6.2 million in the bank, compared to $2.6 million for House Republicans.

With incumbents firmly entrenched in most northwest Ohio districts, the region offers few obvious opportunities for either party to make inroads.

But Democrats plan to again go after Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova Township) in the 46th District that includes Lucas County's western suburbs, this time arming former county Commissioner Harry Barlos to do battle.

Ms. Brown said Ms. Sears has proven too conservative for a district that has demonstrated an independent streak in its voting, backing Mr. Strickland in 2006 even while sending Republicans to the House and Senate.

Democrats are particularly making an issue of Ms. Sears' vote against putting a renewal and expansion of the Third Frontier state investment in high-tech research and development on the ballot.

"That is a major issue for the Toledo area that has over the last several years emerged at the forefront of solar energy and other sorts of new-economy industries that Third Frontier helps," Ms. Brown said.

But Mr. Dittoe said talk of going after Ms. Sears is probably more about trying to force Republicans to spend money there than a real expectation of converting the district.

"Since she was appointed, she's been highly targeted and will continue to be," he said.

"It's Lucas County. It was one of the five most expensive races in a year very much favoring Democrats, but in 2008 she took 57 percent of the vote."

An open seat in the rural 81st District encompassing all of Sandusky County, a sliver of southern Ottawa County, and western Seneca County is also on the Democrats' radar screen.

The district has sent Rep. Jeff Wagner (R., Sycamore) to Columbus for the last eight years, and for the eight years before that opted for Rex Damschroder, a Fremont Republican.

Term limits are forcing Mr. Wagner from office, and Mr. Damschroder is back again.

This time Democrats hope Seneca County Commissioner Ben Nutter can carry the district even as Republicans note that he barely survived the primary.

Republicans say they will again go after the lakefront 80th District that includes Erie County and most of Ottawa.

Despite having Mr. Obama on the ticket in 2008, Republicans said this was a competitive district for them.

This time, the Republican, Jeff Krabill of Sandusky, will be going against a two-year incumbent, Rep. Dennis Murray (D., Sandusky).

There's also a Libertarian in the race, Judy Kayden of Wakeman.

Among the other seats held by Democrats that are targeted by Republicans:

•The 19th District in the western suburbs of Columbus that went to Democratic Rep. Marian Harris in 2008 by a scant 735 votes.

•The suburban Cincinnati 28th District won by Democratic Rep. Connie Pillich.

•The 63rd District of Lake County, where freshman Rep. Mark Schneider (D., Mentor) upset a Republican incumbent in 2008.

•The rural 89th District centered in Portsmouth, where an open seat is being vacated by term-limited Rep. Todd Book (D., McDermott).

This is Vern Riffe country, so a win in the late powerful Democratic House speaker's backyard would represent a moral victory for the GOP.

•The rural 93rd District encompassing all or part of five counties southeast of Zanesville.

The seat was left vulnerable when incumbent Rep. Jennifer Garrison (D., Marietta) made an aborted run for secretary of state this year.

Among the Republican-held seats being targeted by Democrats are:

•The 17th District in the eastern Cleveland suburbs being vacated by Rep. Josh Mandel (R., Lyndhurst), the GOP candidate for state treasurer.

•The 21st District north of Columbus left open when Rep. Kevin Bacon (R., Columbus) opted to run for state Senate.

•The suburban Dayton 36th District left vulnerable when Rep. Seth Morgan (R., Huber Heights) made an unsuccessful primary run for state auditor.

•The 58th District that includes Huron, eastern Seneca, and southwest Lorain counties that is held by freshman Rep. Terry Boose (R., Norwalk).

•The 87th District in southeast Ohio being vacated by Rep. Clyde Evans (R., Rio Grande).

Contact Jim Provance at:

jprovance@theblade.com

or 614-221-0496.

39.96196 -83.00298

Democrats in the 46th District think incumbent Republican Barbara Sears, left, is vulnerable and are running Harry Barlos, right, to oppose her. THE BLADE BARBARA HENDEL Enlarge | Photo Reprints

In 2008, with Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, everything seemed to break Democrats' way as they added control of the Ohio House to their tightening grip on state government for the first time in 14 years. But two years later, four seats stand in the way of the GOP regaining the majority in the House.