Posted on 08/20/2006 4:28:21 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
After suggesting for nearly two weeks that they had legal grounds to push her off the November ballot, Democrats won’t challenge state Sen. Joy Padgett’s bid to replace U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, a party spokesman said yesterday.
The decision clears the path for Padgett to run in a special Republican primary election next month to replace Ney, who dropped out of the race last week as his popularity suffered because of his relationship with ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, convicted of influence peddling.
Individuals, however, still can file challenges to the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections by 4 p.m. today.
If no one does, Padgett and six other candidates will be on the special Sept. 14 ballot for the 18 th Congressional District, encompassing a swath of eastern and southern Ohio.
(Excerpt) Read more at ohioelects.com ...
Good News.
The GOP will hold this seat.
Am I being paranoid, or is this a bad sign (like the 'Rats having dirt of Padgett). Aftre, Democrats have repeatedly used the courts to win when they can't win at the ballot box.
Paranoid.
I noticed there was a bit of buzz about Padgett being compromised because Ney endorsed her bid, but I don't think it'll make a bit of difference if Padgett's name is on the ballot. As CA-50 demonstrated, corruption is not a vicarious factor. Once the suspect candidate is off the ballot the voters move on, and this is still a very firmly GOP district. Last but not least, Zach Space is a third-tier opponent, just like Ms Busby.
What I don't know, is if Padgett wins the primary, can the Dems then sue to bounce her off the General election ballot? If they can, with some reasonable chance of success, then of course the Dems would be delighted to "allow" her to win the primary.
Hmm.. That's a good point!
Once in awhile, I manage to spot an "issue." :)
I suppose. But it's SO out of character for Democrats to treat Republicans fairly. Why would they do so in this case (if they don't have an ulterior motive)?
Protests lodged against Padgett, others
What Democrats said Friday they would not do, a Coshocton Republican declared Saturday that he will do – try to stop Joy Padgett’s bid to replace U.S. Rep. Bob Ney in the race for his 18th District congressional seat.
In one of three protests filed Saturday with the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections, Gordon R. Firman of 1101 Fairy Falls Dr., Coshocton, gave several reasons why Padgett, a Republican state senator from Coshocton, should not be eligible as a candidate for the Sept. 14 Republican special primary election.
Among the reasons are that Padgett entered the Sept. 14 primary after having lost in another primary within the 2006 calendar year. Firman says the constitutionality of Ohio law and other “sore loser” provisions have not been adjudicated in court action.
Firman also states in his protest that a severe conflict of interest has arisen since Ohio’s attorney general and secretary of state have given Padgett a favored and overly advantageous boost to her candidacy by their interpretation of the “sore loser” provisions, citing the fact that both are personal friends of Padgett and high-ranking members of the Republican Party.
The protest also states that an undue and unfair burden has been placed on the public and other candidates due to time restraints and lack of publicity information made available to the general public, “in as much that it is not possible before Sunday, Sept. 20 Tuscarawas Board of Election’s ruling(s) in regard to protests to allow due process in court’s against the Padgett candidacy.”
Protests also were filed before the 4 p.m. Saturday deadline by Susan Daniels of 702 N. Walnut St., Dover, against candidates Ralph Applegate of Columbus and James Broadbelt Harris of Zanesville.
Daniels, in her petitions of protest, cites the same “sore loser” provisions of Ohio law that Firman cited in his protest against Padgett. Daniels said that both Applegate and Harris lost in another primary in the 2006 calendar year, and that the “sore loser” provisions have not been adjudicated in court action.
The Tuscarawas County Board of Elections has scheduled hearings on the protests today at 8 a.m. in the board office.
Democrats last week had said that Padgett was not eligible to be on the ballot because of Ohio laws that prohibit losers in primaries from running in a general election and forbid candidates from running for state and federal office in the same election. Padgett lost the GOP primary in May for lieutenant governor.
Eight potential candidates had filed, but only seven had enough valid signatures to be certified to the Sept. 14 special primary election ballot by the county board of elections.
The remaining candidates are: Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen; Samuel Gerald Firman of Coshocton (Gordon Firman’s brother); John R. Bennett of Cambridge, Ney’s Cambridge-based coordinator of veterans affairs; and Ray Feikert of Millersburg, a Holmes County commissioner.
That would seem to belie the Delay precedent.
I wish Blackwell's people were as tough with the Democrats as they were with fellow Republicans.
You could be right, but it seems that one of the other 7 Republicans filing for this seat and that the complaint will be heard tomorrow in court.
It's nice to see that the GOP is allowing the 'RATS to chose the GOP candidates this year. Adds new meaning to "leveling the playing field."
Add to that the absolute dearth of effective female GOP leaders in Ohio (trust me, Deb Pryce is my congresswoman.)
Joy Padgett is no ball of fire either. Her record in statewide politics isn't particularly noteworthy. Same old, same old. Brought to you by the Bob Taft fan club.
Ney's district was "historically" marginal to Dem leaning until it was redrawn for the 2002 election, and shed a lot of Dem precincts around Youngstown and other rust belt areas near the Ohio River, and became Bush country to the tune of about 57%, as I recall.
My impression is that gun control and National Security were the overriding issues then. Now, I'm not so sure. Bridgeport, Martin's Ferry and Bellaire are not exactly economic balls of fire. Add to that the idiotic leadership of the Ohio GOP and I would call the race in the general election a toss-up at best.
Yes, no doubt about it. The 2004 Bush numbers for the Pubbies will not be replicated in 2006, in Ohio. The issue is the size of the Pubbie erosion, in heavily contested races, and how much incumbency stanches that (beyond the Ney district). As an aside, the latter bit is what Pryce and Chabot, and for that matter, DeWine, want to know. How much does their incumbency matter, and in what direction?
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