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Group funnels money to Democrats in House election
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
COLUMBUS: An independent expenditure group has been pouring big money into Ohio House races to support Democrats in their efforts to take back the majority this year and the move has Republicans crying foul.
The Committee for a Moderate Majority, with PAC dollars from primarily the Service Employees International Union and the Ohio Education Association, is aiding Democratic candidates in as many as 22 targeted House races across Ohio, including the contest between Democrat Mike Moran and Republican Richard Nero in northern Summit County.
To date, the third-party expenditures have been spent on mailings, but Gloria Fauss, a spokeswoman for the committee and the SEIU's political director,
would not rule out television and radio advertising in the final days of the campaign.
Nero, appointed to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of state Rep. John Widowfield, R-Cuyahoga Falls, said the mailings are negative and filled with distortions.
In a mailing sent in the district, Nero is criticized for missing a vote on a Great Lakes Compact resolution on the day he was sworn into office because he left early to go to Las Vegas.
Nero said he was present for the vote that mattered on the compact and returned to a business meeting in Las Vegas when it was clear that the resolution was not going to change and the final vote was perfunctory.
The mailing from the moderate majority committee leads voters to believe that Nero was too busy gambling and eyeballing showgirls in Las Vegas to attend to his votes.
''I've been trying to bite my tongue on these special-interest attacks, but these independent efforts seem to be coordinated, not only against me, but in districts around the state,'' Nero said.
Moran said he has had no contact with the third-party group and only became aware of the mailing after a neighbor received one and showed it to him.
State Rep. Matt Dolan, R-Novelty, who is leading the House Republican Caucus Campaign committee, said he believes the SEIU cut a deal with Gov. Ted Strickland and the Ohio Democratic Party to abandon a sick-day ballot initiative to instead focus on helping Democrats take control of the House.
''This is false,'' Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said. ''The governor opposed the SEIU-backed ballot initiative and worked to remove it from the ballot because he believed it would have been bad for the state's economy.''
Fauss also denied any collaboration between Democrats and the moderate majority committee, stating it would be illegal.
She said Dolan's assertions are wrong and that the SEIU will not seek a law in Ohio for mandated sick days, but will instead push for the plan nationally.
The committee is helping Democrats in Ohio House races because the party shares the same values as the SEIU and other unions, Fauss said.
She added the moderate majority committee is not involved in any other Democratic races although the SEIU PAC is contributing money to Barack Obama's campaign along with Democrats running for the U.S. House, the Ohio Senate and Richard Cordray, a candidate for Ohio Attorney General.
Republicans have controlled the majority in the Ohio House since 1995. In 2006, following a series of scandals linked to Republicans in Columbus, Democrats picked up enough seats to narrow the Republican majority to 53-46.
Democrats would need to pick up four seats to take the majority.
While Fauss would not pinpoint the races the third-party group is targeting, and Dolan would not outline where the Republicans are focusing their resources, the House Democratic caucus released a list of 22 districts that the party considers to be in play in the Nov. 4 election.
The Moran-Nero race is among the top five targeted races, but the two parties are also squaring off in the Stark County contest for the 50th House district between Republican Todd Snitchler and Democrat Celeste DeHoff to replace state Rep. John Hagan, R-Alliance, who is term-limited.
Half of the races are in open seats or districts where the incumbent legislator was appointed to fill a vacancy like Nero and is running for election for the first time.
Democrats have identified six incumbent seats they are intent on protecting and five districts where they believe they have a chance to unseat a Republican incumbent.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
COLUMBUS: An independent expenditure group has been pouring big money into Ohio House races to support Democrats in their efforts to take back the majority this year and the move has Republicans crying foul.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Barberton, OH
Posted 05:18 AM, 10/08/2008
Of course Republicans will cry foul! Why? Because it is going against them, that is why. Had this been going in their favor, Republicans would be OK with it. That is just the way they think.
Barberton, OH
Posted 05:20 AM, 10/08/2008
Speaking of Republicans, has anyone seen that load of signs that Arshinkoff has in front of his house at 466 W. Streetsboro St. in Hudson? What a dump!!!!! The only thing he is doing there is telling everyone that drives by who NOT to vote for.
Akron, OH
Posted 06:05 AM, 10/08/2008
The republicans should know the dems have a lock on the vote buying. Just look at what ACORN is doing to buy votes for Obama and the Dems.
Posted 06:37 AM, 10/08/2008
Nero must think he is still running for the Kent City council seat he lost years agao.
Nero ran negative mailers beating up his primary opponent because he had a part time job. His opponent had no money to fight back with. Mike Moran is not going to sit back and let Nero attack him without fighting back.
What did you expect? The Democrats were going to sit back and not campaign against you? Shouldn't that independet group be working WITH Nero because Nero claims on his website he is a "moderate Republican"?
Enjoy this for the next twenty something days, enjoy the negative television ads, it's going to get a lot worse!
It's a good thing you have the New Summit Republicans behind you to help you raise money and run your campaign. It looks like you have a LOT of signs up in the district. You must really be campaigning hard.
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 07:20 AM, 10/08/2008
It's time for change in Washington, and that includes lots of majority Democrat Senators and Congressman to make Obama's "Change" happen for the middle class. The Republicans are done, at least for the next two years, stopping any progress for the middle class.
Posted 07:27 AM, 10/08/2008
The Ohio GOP should talk - they run some of the most sleazy attack ads I've ever seen. Of course, they are protesting these Democratic ads - they don't want folks to hear viewpoints other than their own.
Posted 08:03 AM, 10/08/2008
All those "moderate" House Republicans who went easy on the unions all those years are now getting it stuck to them in spades.
Posted 12:22 PM, 10/08/2008
Posted by Sitting 04:27 AM, 10/08/2008
The Ohio GOP should talk - they run some of the most sleazy attack ads I've ever seen. Of course, they are protesting these Democratic ads - they don't want folks to hear viewpoints other than their own.
It's not an attack AD if the information is true.
Posted 12:29 PM, 10/08/2008
McCain Economic policy is IDENTICAL to Bush's Economic policy. He Voted with Bush Over 90% of the time.
McCain has been in Washington for nearly THREE decades fighting FOR Deregulation. Look at the mess that has gotten us.
McCain-- Bad for Jobs, Bad for the Economy, End of Story.
