OH-05: Gov. Strickland Says Weirauch Has Ohio Values In New Ad

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Gov Ted Strickland appears in OH-05 Democrat Robin Weirauch's newest TV ad and praises her as "one of us, she is not a person of privilege." The 30-second spot is now on YouTUBE and can be viewed by clicking this link. Strickland steers clear of attacking Weirauch's opponent, GOP State Rep. Bob Latta. Instead, the governor emphasizes her NW Ohio roots and says she won't be the kind of politician who goes to the Capitol and takes on airs.

"This region of Ohio needs someone who will be an advocate for them, not someone who is going to go to Washington and forget where they are from. We all know Washington is broken."

Weirauch's biography is here, and Strickland's words mesh well with her campaign slogan, "Homegrown Values."

Strickland is extremely popular around the state and carried Ohio's 5th Congressional District in 2006 when he was elected governor. It was a feat because the district routinely votes Republican. If Weirauch wins the special election Tuesday, Dec. 11, she will be the first Democrat to hold the OH-05 House seat since 1938.

OH-05 Dem Robin Weirauch: Latta Voted Against Raising Death Benefit For Ohio National Guard

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- Democratic congressional candidate Robin Weirauch says her opponent has a "lackluster record" on veterans issues. The campaign said Bob Latta is on record opposing efforts to increase the death benefit paid to families of Ohio National Guard members who are killed in action. Republican Latta cast the nay votes in February and June 2005 while serving in the Ohio General Assembly. The death benefit was increased from $20,000 to $100,000 as Ohio Guard troops took part in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Weirauch and Latta are in a contest for a vacant House seat in Ohio's 5th District, which covers 16 counties, primarily in the state's NW corner outside of Toledo. The special election is Dec. 11. Some 52,800 veterans live in the district.

Weirauch was born on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton and grew up in a military family. She said veterans' issues will be a high priority if she is elected to Congress.

"I have always believed we have a moral responsibility to do everything possible to care for our nation's fighting men and women. We've seen too many career politicians such as my opponent makes speeches standing in front of veterans groups. The mark of a real leader is standing behind our veterans when it counts."

OH-O5 Debate Transcript: GOP's Bob Latta Vs. Dem Robin Weirauch

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Glass City Jungle has put together and published a fast transcript of the Latta-Weirauch showdown broadcast this a.m. on a Toledo TV station. Read the transcript and choose your own winner.

And give a big thanks to Lisa Renee Ward, the editor of Glass City Jungle. It is a great post, a feat of grassroots journalism and the power of the Ohiosphere. She has made it possible for everyone to follow the debate between the two candidates for the open seat in Ohio's 5th Congressional District. It was an act of true public service to release the transcript on the 'net so quickly.

OH-05 Dem Robin Weirauch: Sounding Tough Like Tancredo On Immigration

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Democrat Robin Weirauch is strutting her blue collar roots -- she used to work beside her mother in a factory -- and has been heating up the anti-NAFTA rhetoric. Now she's pledging a crackdown against undocumented aliens and says she's in the camp that favors "absolutely no amnesty, no driver's licenses and no federal benefits for illegal immigrants."

[UPDATE: 12:20 PM est -- Weirauch is traveling around NW Ohio today and in speeches she is targeting what she has called the "Taft Tax," the sales tax increase sought by former GOP Gov. Bob Taft that was the biggest tax hike in the state's history. "To create a new direction for Ohio, we need new leaders with new priorities. We remember all too well what the politics of the past brought. Career politicians gave us the Taft Tax, which was the largest tax increase in Ohio history in order to pay for budgets that provided millions for the special interests. Worst of all, those same career politicians told middle class Ohioans to pay for it all." Jeff Coryell is on the road with Robin and Ohio Daily Blog is carrying his reports.]

Weirauch is running against Republican State Rep. Bob Latta for the vacant seat in Ohio's 5th Congressional District, which covers the conservative northwest corner of the state. The special election is Dec. 11. Latta voted for Taft's sales tax increase. The district covers a patch of political turf that has not been held by a Democrat since 1938. Weirauch has fashioned a message that looks to be in tune in a region filled with farms and small factories that are being squeezed by globalization, high energy costs and an economy that seems to have left much of the Midwest behind. On immigration, Weirauch -- who is campaigning today with Gov. Ted Strickland -- is running to the right of many who come from her party's Big City urban districts. She says family budgets in rural Ohio are being stretched beyond the breaking point as local economies wither.

"Unfortunately, the politicians in Washington have worked harder on behalf of the special interests than the working families of Northwest Ohio."

On her campaign blog Weirauch writes that she considers illegal immigrants a threat to Ohio's rural economy. She says they are part-and-parcel with what she calls foreign trade agreements fashioned by corporate lobbyists that don't have the interests of U.S. workers at their core. Weirauch writes:

"Making matters worse, Washington isn't enforcing our immigration laws, allowing big companies to hire illegal aliens without being penalized. That isn't right. Washington has failed to fix America's broken immigration system and hardworking Northwest Ohioans are paying the price. Washington needs to enforce our immigration laws and hold employers liable when they break them. We must secure our borders and make sure that illegal immigrants aren't rewarded for breaking the law . . .

"We've had enough of politicians who send our jobs overseas, support trade agreements that encourage illegal immigration, and fail to enforce immigrations laws."

OH-05 Dem Robin Weirauch: EMILY's List Puts Her On Its List

BOWLING GREEN (TDB) -- Jeff Coryell of Ohio Daily Blog checked and found Robin Weirauch made the list. The access to nationwide financial support puts the NW Ohio congressional contest on the map. It means the Democrat has a shot at claiming territory held by the GOP since the Depression years. Here's the text of Jeff's post today:

EMILY's List, the nation's largest political action committee and financial resource for women running for elective office, today announced its endorsement of Robin Weirauch in her bid for Ohio’s fifth congressional district.

“A passionate advocate for the community with deep roots in northwest Ohio, Robin Weirauch has been making a positive difference in the lives of Ohioans for more than two decades,” said Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY’s List. “From economic development to education and protecting children, Weirauch has tackled some of the toughest challenges facing this district and created effective solutions to improve people’s daily lives. In an environment rife with frustration with the status quo, Weirauch offers a real world perspective and on the ground experience that is the answer to her district’s desire for change.”

This is a huge boost for the Weirauch campaign. Founded in 1985 and 100,000 members strong, Emily's List is the country's largest PAC. In 22 years it has raised over $240 million and has elected 69 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House. The press release gives a nice biographical sketch:

Weirauch was born into a military family at the Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up in Henry County, where she attended Liberty Center High School. After she graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1980, Weirauch began working at the Filling Memorial Home of Mercy, Napoleon, which was a residential facility for individuals with severe developmental disabilities. In the mid-80s, she volunteered as a state-certified emergency medical technician for the Napoleon Fire Department. She has also been a volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio. In 1994, she was trained and sworn as a court-appointed special advocate in Henry County, representing the best interests of children involved in the legal system. Most recently she worked as the assistant director of the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University. The Center provides economic and community development research and assistance to communities in 27 counties across northern Ohio.

Weirauch said that she is honored to receive the support of Emily's List members and described the theme of her campaign this way:
Ohioans want a change in direction and leadership that will truly understand and focus on needs of these communities. In Congress, I'll fight to bring home the help we need to create jobs, invest in education, and strengthen public safety. I'll also fight to bring home our soldiers from Iraq.

OH-05 Dem Weirauch: Flawed Trade Policies Allowed Toxic Toys

TOLEDO (TDB) -- Democratic congressional candidate Robin Weirauch chose a crowded shopping area near a Toys R Store to denounce trade policies that have delivered "a lethal bill of goods" to U.S. stores and consumers. Weirauch spoke on Black Friday, the first day of the Christmas shopping season, and said too many imports -- including toys from cheap-labor Asian factories -- are shoddy, dangerous and have been made with toxic substances like lead. She said officials in Washington have either ignored the problem or looked the other way.

Weirauch wants consumer products safety to become a major issue and also urges families to shop for American-made goods whenever possible.

"Our manufacturing jobs have been shipped to places like China and India, and what do we get in return? Shoddy, unsafe toys that pose life-threatening consequences for our children. In fact, 80 percent of the toys bought in the United States are imported from China, and the vast majority of these toys are never being inspected."

Weirauch is trying to capture a traditional GOP seat in a conservative district. She faces Republican Bob Latta in a Dec. 11 special election to fill Ohio's vacant 5th Congressional District seat. It was held by Paul Gillmor, an entrenched and popular GOP veteran who died in a household accident last September. She pulled 43% of the vote against him in 2006. Weirauch has begun hammering on the trade issue across the NW Ohio district. The criticism plays well in Ohio, where more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost this decade. She contends trade agreements such as NAFTA have undercut the state's economic base while flooding U.S. markets with toxic goods.

"I know one thing for sure, when these products were made in America, we didn't have to worry about toxic toys. When our toys were made right here in Ohio, our kids were safe. Washington is broken, and the way this crisis has been handled is all the proof we need. Like Ohioans, I was absolutely stunned to learn that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has only one person testing toys being shipped to the U.S. Washington put a single person in charge of making sure that toxic toys never made it to the shelves . . ."

OH-05 Dem Robin Weirauch: Bad Trade Deals Have Bled This State

FREMONT, Ohio (TDB) -- Democratic Congressional candidate Robin Weirauch went to a closed TRW plant in NW Ohio and said the 270 workers who lost jobs are victims of national policies that tug against the interests of blue collar Americans. She wants a moratorium on "faulty trade deals" and worries the factory economy is being been sold piecemeal to China. Weirauch also said Congress needs to do more to help U.S. manufacturers that have stayed home.

[Image courtesy Wikipedia -- it is a generic shuttered factory from England, and not the Fremont plant Weirauch visisted.]

Weirauch is campaigning for a vacant seat in Ohio's 5th District across NW portions of the state. She faces Republican Bob Latta in a Dec. 11 special election required by the death of Paul Gillmor last September.

Weirauch hammered on trade agreements that critics -- foremost among them Democratic U.S. Sherrod Brown -- contend have shipped U.S. jobs overseas to cheap labor countries like China. Brown made the jobs issue a centerpiece of his successful campaign to defeat Mike DeWine last November. It is a topic that seems to resonate with Ohio voters in a state where the economy has lagged. Said Weirauch:

"How many of our neighbors have worked hard and played by the rules with a promise of economic security, a good pension and health care into their golden years. The fact is, Washington isn't listening to these stories. We are witnessing the legacy of failed trade policies which have crippled American manufacturing, moved our jobs overseas and have created stagnant wage growth for the past seven years.

"We need to change the way that Washington does business. And and that is why I am calling for an immediate moratorium on faulty trade deals. When I am in Congress, I am going to fight hard to ensure that we don't sell off our economy piece by piece to China or India, that is just bad business. I also pledge to go after companies that are more interested in sending jobs overseas than they are being good corporate citizens. But I don't want to just provide punitive solutions. This is about fostering a good climate that allows businesses that stay here to be competitive in the global market."

OH-05 Dem Robin Weirauch: Some Capitol Hill Money Starts Flowing Her Way

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- Financial support from some of Ohio's big name Democrats in Congress has started flowing to Robin Weirauch for a Dec. 11 special election. She was nominated Tuesday in Ohio's 5th District and is campaigning for an open House seat that had been in GOP hands since the 1930s. Sen. Sherrod Brown's leadership PAC, America Works, donated $5,000 this week. And two House Democrats -- U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Cleveland and Tim Ryan of Youngstown -- have each sent $2,000. Weirauch needs every dime she can get her hands on to compete against State Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, who is trying to regain the seat his father, Delbert Latta, held for a generation.

After Del Latta retired, Paul Gillmor had a long run in OH-05. He died September 5 after falling down the stairs in his suburban Washington apartment. The special election Dec. 11 is scheduled to fill the vacancy.

OH-05 in Northwest Ohio is a rural Republican bastion, but Weirauch has a shot. She polled 43% of the vote against the popular and entrenched Gillmor in 2006. Sen. Brown and Gov. Ted Strickland both carried OH-05 when they ran that fall.

Jerid Kurtz, the proprietor of Buckeye State Blog, says Democrats have a duty this year to dig deep for Weirauch, and he's a bit perturbed that some officeholders are sitting on large piles of cash while a House race is under way. He's says some of the money should be steered into OH-05 where there may not be another shot at an open seat for 20 years.

"The price of leadership in Ohio these days is not simply representing your district, and representing it well. Rather, Democrats need to make a concerted effort to look out for the future of Ohio. After all, as the Ohio Democratic Party started to slide into decline in the early 90's, an 'everyman for themself' attitude was part of the problem."

Kurtz, in particular, says U.S. Rep. Zack Space -- who now holds the House seat that convicted former GOP Congressman Bob Ney left during the Abramoff scandal -- should kick in $2,000 for Weirauch. Kurtz said she is running in the same kind of rural territory that Space represents, and that Space needs to give her a hand in an uphill battle.

"I think it's reasonable to ask Space to make a contribution to Robin Weirauch's campaign for Congress. With nearly $600,000 on hand 12 months out from re-election, he has the funds to occasionally support important causes to further our state and our party."

Without money, Weirauch has no chance. She can't be viable without cash. The race clearly is shaping up as a test to see if Ohio's Dems -- who are in power at the Statehouse for the first time in 16 years -- can make a fight of it in the kind of place they usually avoided. Others wonder if the national Dems -- in power at the Capitol for the first time since 1994 -- are willing to force the GOP to fight on its home turf, a district that has traditionally gone red.

OH-05 is the only game in town, the only House seat left in play this year. Inquiring minds want to know: Will the Dems hold 'em, fold 'em, or raise the bet? If Space writes a check, that would send a strong signal that the Democrats intend to fight for OH-05. It would show that a Democratic congressman from rural Ohio, a freshman in a traditional GOP seat, believes that Democrats can compete successfully in rural Ohio.

Ohio Elections Commission: It Says Both OH-05 Republicans Are Liars

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Ronald Reagan used to invoke the 11th Commandment -- thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. The Ohio Elections Commission -- a panel that is supposed to keep state campaigns on the straight and narrow -- has found the top two GOP candidates in OH-05 have trouble honoring No. 8 on the list from the Old Testament. The one that says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Last month, the OEC said State Sen. Steve Buehrer and his chief financial backer, the Club for Growth PAC, sponsored ads containing false information about State Rep. Bob Latta's vote on tax legislation. Today, the OEC reprimanded Latta for distributing campaign literature that made false claims about Buehrer. The political flyers said Buehrer opposed school prayer and "didn't want" the Ten Commandments posted in public schools.

There is some irony in today's OEC decision that benefited Buehrer on the last day before the primary election. Last month, the Club for Growth ripped the OEC as being in the tank for Latta. Of course, the panel proved today it was unbiased and willing to smack down questionable rhetoric from either Republican.

The Toledo Blade's Jim Provance reports the OEC stopped short of recommending criminal prosecution against Latta.

"Today's reprimand marks the most severe stance taken to date by the bipartisan commission in dueling complaints filed by both sides. . . The commission had the option of referring either candidate for possible criminal prosecution, but opted not to."

H/T to Jeff Coryell at Ohio Daily Blog for spotting the Provance story when it appeared today. No matter which Republican wins the primary, they will be under a cloud for the next round. An official body has determined they lied to gain political advantage. So the GOP is not exactly holding the ethical high ground in a special election set for Dec. 11 against the Democratic party's likely nominee Robin Weirauch.

OH-O5 GOP: Latta To File Charge That Buehrer Lied About Tax Vote

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- State Rep. Bob Latta plans to file a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission Tuesday that accuses his Republican primary opponent and the Club for Growth of making false statements about a 1998 sales tax vote. Latta's legal filing says he did not raise taxes, but voted only "to place an issue on the Ohio ballot to allow voters to decide whether or not to raise state sales taxes while lowering local property taxes." But both State Sen. Steve Buehrer and the Club for Growth have distributed materials saying Latta voted for a "$1 billion tax hike in 1998."

Latta faces Buehrer in an increasingly bitter primary for the GOP nomination in Ohio's 5th Congressional district, which covers a broad swath of NW Ohio. The seat became vacant after Paul Gillmor died suddenly last month. The Club for Growth, an ultra-conservative anti-tax group, has endorsed Buehrer and is pledging to spend up to $75,000 on ads in his behalf.

Latta's Ohio Election Commission complaint was prepared by Scott Pullins, a Mount Vernon lawyer and GOP activist who represents the campaign.

Matthew Parker, Latta's campaign manager, told The Daily Bellwether that it simply is not true that Latta voted to raise taxes in 1998.

"He didn't support a tax hike. He voted to put it before the voters in a referendum, where it failed by a huge margin. They are not telling the truth about Bob Latta's record. It's an effort to distort his record."

Parker said Latta received an award that year as "Watchdog of the Treasury" for opposing taxes, and also was voted outstanding freshman legislator by the United Conservatives of Ohio.

A draft of the complaint to be filed in the Ohio Elections Commission shows that the 1998 referendum has become a much-litigated issue. In April of that year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the measure did not levy any new taxes, but "merely authorizes the electorate to determine whether the proposed taxes should be levied."

And that same month, the Ohio Elections Commission found probable cause that a GOP candidate, Lisa Pfeifer, made a false statement in a campaign flier when she said her opponent had voted for a $1 billion tax increase. The wrangling in that case appears to be a replay of Latta's showdown with Buuehrer and the Club for Growth.

Pullins said he wants an expedited hearing on Latta's complaint. The primary is less than a month away.

OH-05 GOP Primary: Corrupt Fundraiser Tom Noe Donated $$$ To Buehrer

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (TDB) -- Nearly $8,000 in campaign donations flowed from crooked GOP insider Tom Noe, who is now serving federal and state prison sentences, to Republican State Sen. Steve Buehrer, a candidate for a seat in the U.S. House.

Noe has come to symbolize the face of political corruption in Ohio. He has been convicted of stealing from Ohio's $50 million rare coin fund, and also for illegally laundering some $45,000 into President Bush's reelection campaign.

There is more about Noe's crooked activities in this Toledo Blade story from Nov. 20, 2006. Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Osowik said Noe "cooked the books" in a scheme to cheat the public.

Campaign finance records examined by The Daily Bellwether at the Ohio Secretary of State's office show Noe began writing checks to Buehrer's campaign fund during the 2000 election cycle. He donated $2,500 to Citizens for Buehrer that year. Six other check brought in another $5,479 between 2001-2004.

Records examined by The Bellwether indicate that State Rep. Bob Latta -- Buehrer's opponent in the OH-05 GOP primary -- received just one campaign contribution from Noe, a $750 check. (For some reason, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's Web site has been malfunction today. The links either fail or misdirect. There is a note saying the portal is undergoing maintenance. )

Latta and Buehrer are both conservatives, but Buehrer has been portraying himself as the stronger foe of any efforts to raise taxes, and contends his anti-abortion credentials are superior to Latta's. Buehrer also has backing from the Club for Growth, which is vehemently opposed to any new taxes.

But the Noe contributions may present an opening for Latta -- who might begin to make a case that Buehrer was silent, inactive, or inattentive during the scandals of the Taft years because Buehrer accepted campaign funds from a known crook. Political corruption is an issue that is high on the public's radar, and the eight checks totaling $7,979 from Noe to Buehrer's campaign fund are likely to become a way to dredge up the recent scandals and pin more sins on the jailed fundraiser.

OH-O5 GOP: It Seems Sexual Orientation Has Suddenly Become An Issue

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The late U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor has barely been laid to rest -- he died Sept. 5 -- and a rumor is now being circulated that an Ohio Republican who may, or may not, be considering a run for the vacant OH-05 seat is a gay man from Bowling Green. He had once been an aide to Gillmor. The rumor appeared publicly in an anonymous comment on Ohio Daily this morning, which was then e-mailed to The Daily Bellwether by a Republican as an FYI. The comment is reprinted in its entirety below. Jeff Coryell is the proprietor of Ohio Daily, and he has so far chosen to neither delete nor remark upon the anonymous comment. The Daily Bellwether is attempting to contact Coryell and others to find out what is going on. A phone message has been left with the elected official who is the subject of the rumor.

At September 14, 2007 7:07 AM , Anonymous said...
It would be interesting if Tim Brown were to enter the race. I don't know if this District is ready for a gay Republican candidate. It seems more probable that he would try to move up to fill whatever slot is finally created if either Gardner or Latta win. The three of them (Brown, Gardner and Latta) have been marking time in the "Term Limits Two Step" for a long, long time.It's one thing for Brown and his partner to live in Bowling Green and coast to easy victories for county commissioner, but the atmosphere is so toxic toward gay GOP Congressmen that for Brown to enter this race would be fascinating. Would the Log Cabin Republicans rally to support one of their own or would the GOP's much beloved "culturally conservative" evangelical legions of Orcs turn out to do battle?

At September 14, 2007 12:56 PM , Anonymous said...
Who cares.... I really wonder who pushed this rumor... Bob Latta to keep him out of the Senate race or Randy Gardner so he can put liberal GOP Rep. Mark Wagoner in the Senate seat should Latta win. Latta and Gardner were going to switch seats due to term limits.

Jerid Kurtz at Buckeye State Blog has quite a bit to say, and notes the official who is the subject of the rumors is Gillmor's former district aide.