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.
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.
Well, they ARE picking a State Senator. The entire Ohio State GOP is scandle ridden.
It's a pretty Republican district, she probably will win, but I wish they had gone with a County Councilman or somebody like that. I'm nervos when Ohio State Pols are running for national office this year.