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Renegade primary challenger muddles Republicans’ efforts to unseat Schmidt
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Race
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| Contributor | None Entered |
| Last Edited | None Entered May 11, 2007 10:06am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Friday, May 11, 2007 04:05:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By Aaron Blake
May 11, 2007
A Republican former county commissioner this week announced he is preparing to challenge Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) in next year’s primary, but his entry could hurt anti-Schmidt GOPers in their quest to unseat her.
Republicans said the surprise announcement of former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich could help Schmidt by setting up a multi-candidate primary, as her main opposition force is divided.
He stated his intentions Wednesday in an e-mail to supporters that blindsided local Republicans, who characterized it as a power move.
Schmidt won less than 50 percent of the vote in the primary in 2006 and narrowly survived in the general election as well, defeating Democrat Victoria Wulsin 50-49. Wulsin is running again and starting her campaign 10 months earlier.
Schmidt’s plurality primary win indicates her GOP opposition would be well served to unite behind one candidate, but Heimlich’s entry appears to compromise that goal severely.
The Cincinnati-based Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) is the leading anti-Schmidt group; it vehemently opposed her in 2005 and 2006 and has been a strong supporter of Heimlich. The group declined to line up behind him yesterday, citing one of its founder’s interest in running.
State Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr. (R), who formed the group in 1999 with attorney Christopher Finney, said yesterday that he will not yield to Heimlich. Other possible candidates include 2006 gubernatorial nominee Ken Blackwell and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, as well as podiatrist and Iraq war veteran Brad Wenstrup. |
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