Ohio the Crossroads in Fight for Congress

[cal04]

Welcome to Ohio, springtime crossroads in the battle for control of the House, where the political parties, outside groups, attack advertising, surrogate campaigning and more are in full flower. The two parties have spent roughly $1 million combined trying to influence the fate of Democratic write-in hopeful Charlie Wilson in one district, a highly unusual commitment that reflects the importance that Republicans and Democrats place on every potentially competitive seat.

MoveOn.org, a liberal group, has pummeled veteran Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce in her Columbus-area district, paying for television commercials so controversial that some stations declined to run them. Emily's List waded early into a Democratic primary battle to the north on behalf of Betty Sutton, part of its campaign to elect abortion rights advocates to Congress.

There's more.

First lady Laura Bush is penciled in for a fundraiser next week for Pryce, and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the potential 2008 presidential candidate, swung through this month to campaign in Cincinnati for Rep. Steve Chabot. Across the state, scandal-scarred Republican Rep. Bob Ney is expected to survive a primary challenge on Tuesday, but some party strategists privately say they hope he will then step aside and allow them to field a replacement candidate with a better chance of holding the seat in the fall.

Overall, ``I'd rather be us than them,'' says Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He made it clear the Democrats' road to a majority runs through Ohio. Asked whether the party must win seats in the state to capture the House, he said, ``Yes, and we're going to. We have to and we will.'' Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York, chairman of the GOP campaign committee, sized up the situation differently. ``Everybody told me that Ohio was doom and gloom and that Republicans were headed to extinction,'' he said. ``I think that as we look at House seats we're going to hold our own. We won't take it for granted ... but we're certainly holding our own.''

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5785671,00.html

[yourout]

1. Ohio is an election cespool.

Ohio elections are corrupt corrupt corrupt.

[AndyTiedye]

2. WHY Does It Have to Come Down to Ohio AGAIN?!?!

:grr::cry:

[Botany]

3. I live in Columbus, OH

They have already moved dirty machines in.

It will be up to the rest of the nation to show Ohio is dirty.
We have HB 3 in place ... no recounts, no looking @ the machines software &
hardware, a voter ID law that will give the thugs a chance for a d-base of the #
of votes needed to switch or flip.

Last november we had 4 election reform issues on the ballot ... all 4 lost
despite being up in the polls by 20 points (except one) ... the 1 issue the
governor was backing (19% approval rating) passed ..... and dems won
nationwide. I canvassed for those issues ..... people loved them ..... but
the same precinct that I canvassed they lost big time yet the people voted for
dem city consul and judges and ....... but they voted against election reform.

the level of corruption here is breath taking.

[OzarkDem]

4. Ohio is the harbinger of things to come for country

During the last decade, Repugs have turned the state into a laboratory for bad government. If they succeed in corrupting elections this year, they will export their business model to the national level.

Its truly frightening.