News and Notes: Ohio Congressional Races

Tasty newsbits from those contests for the U.S. House of Representatives:

OH-1 - On Sunday Chris Cillizza and Shaillagh Murray of the Washington Post included OH-01 among five Republican-held Congressional districts that have large African-American populations and are expected to be hard fought this November, noting the possibility that an Obama presidential bid could have especially long coat-tails for that reason. According to the 2000 census, the district is 28.7% African-American.

OH-02 - On Tuesday Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) voted against legislation to an Office of Congressional Ethics that would introduce and review ethical complaints brought against Members and determine which cases move forward to the Ethics Committee. Schmidt was reprimanded by the Ohio Elections Commission in 2006 for making false statements about her education and endorsements, and last fall she was accused of earmarking funds that benefited a contributor to her campaign. “Jean would rather play politics than focus on ending corruption in Washington,” said opponent Dr. Victoria Wulsin (D-Indian Hill). “Our government needs to recapture the trust and confidence of the American people. We need to put their interests first and not let politics stand in the way of accomplishing what is right."

OH-03 - There is a good interview with Jane Mitakides (D) in Monday's edition of the Greek News, a Greek-American weekly newpaper. She addresses topics including NAFTA (says she is "no isolationist" but pledges to "only vote to ratify trade deals that include enforceable environmental and labor standards"), health care (favors universal coverage), Iraq ("We must refocus our efforts from a military offensive to a diplomatic one, working to bring stability to the region while bringing our American heroes home"), and veterans ("I will work to update the GI Bill of Rights so that it meets the needs of the 21st century to offer expanded education, training, housing benefits").

OH-06 - At the Ohio Farm Bureau Forum in Washington yesterday, Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-St. Clairsville) called agriculture Ohio's "most important industry":

He said it will be important to try to find a balance in the future on trade agreements to preserve the markets of agricultural exports, while halting and reversing the drain of industrial jobs from the state. When asked what can be done to educate the public more about farming, Wilson suggested directing additional funding to programs such as 4-H; this will educate the young people of today, who will be tomorrow’s voters.

OH-10 - The U.S. House expects to go into secret session for the first time since 1983 today, purportedly so that GOP members can explain what exactly it is that the telecoms need immunity for. However, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Cleveland) and three other Democrats (Miller-CA, Stark-CA, and McDermott-WA) won't be included because they refused to sign an oath of confidentiality.

OH-11 - Yesterday Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Cleveland) applauded the passage of the Second Chance Act (H.R. 1593), bipartisan legislation of which she is an original co-sponsor. It funds projects to projects to help ex-offenders with housing, education, health, employment, and mentoring services with the goal of reintegrating them into society and reducing recidivism. "The passage of this legislation has been a long time coming. I have been waiting nearly 30 years for Congress to enact meaningful reentry legislation, as I have been deeply involved in prisoner reentry issues since my days as a judge and county prosecutor in Cleveland, Ohio before serving in Congress," she said. "The facts are clear -- meaningful reentry programs significantly diminish the chances that ex-offenders will return to prison. That saves taxpayer dollars and increases public safety."

OH-13 - Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Copley Twp) was pleased to have been graded "A+" on helping the middle class by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI):

“I am thrilled to receive an “A+” grade on issues important to the middle class,” Sutton said. “I proudly represent hardworking families in Ohio, and I will continue to work on their behalf to increase economic opportunity, ensure our children are able to access and afford health care and a quality education, reform our trade policies and invest in our infrastructure.”

OH-16 - State Sen. John Boccieri (D-New Middletown) is a co-sponsor of the Ohio Senate bill against LGBT discrimination in employment, housing, and public accomodations, sponsored by State Sen. Dale Miller (D-Cleveland).

OH-18 - Mark Jordan reports in the Mount Vernon News that Rep. Zack Space (D-Dover) was speaking at the Ohio Farm Bureau in Washington yesterday when House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) walked in and announced that Congress had just voted to extend the old farm bill for 30 days to attempt one last effort to negotiate a resolution to the funding and policy impasse over the 2007 Farm Bill. Space was caught off guard like everyone else in the room, but quickly decided it was good news. Space said that Peterson was forcing a showdown, to provoke stallers into supporting the 2007 Farm Bill instead of a stripped-down bill or a complete abandonment of farm bill programs. “He basically threw a grenade onto the Senate floor,” Space said. “He’s got to resort to some kind of political pressure to stimulate some movement. I think he’s doing the right thing.” *** Space had a press conference call today to call on House leadership to advance stalled legislation that strengthens border security, increases interior enforcement, and cracks down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.