LaTourette is not an option as he's stated it recently PLUS he would move down the ladder as opposed to where he is in the House as far as a power position goes.

Yeah he needs to stay in the House. This isn't Montana or Nevada where the benefits of the Senate outweigh the risk of a House seat.

'06 was just an awful year for the GOP, especially in OH. Anybody that thinks the '04 OH result was suspicious is delusional.

I don't think Bush "stole" anything in 2004, but Diebold's massive support of the Republican Party didn't help.

Is Diebold really going to risk their reputation with something like that? I mean you almost contradicted yourself with that statement. In what ways didn't it help? This is actually a black and white issue.

Ordinary voters didn't care about Diebold nor did they buy into electoral fraud conspiracy theories. 2006 was all about Taft.

As soon as I can find an article or when Jim Jordan inevitably announces he isn't going to run for the Senate which he's stated he's leaning against it. I can remove him.

Is Blackwell really considering running? While his poor 2006 showing wasn't entirely his fault, I can't see how that it wouldn't disqualify him.

As soon as I can find an article or when Jim Jordan inevitably announces he isn't going to run for the Senate which he's stated he's leaning against it. I can remove him. If there are users predicting a candidate still it's better to just enter a dropout date than to remove the candidate completely. That way it doesn't affect their predictions.

If there are users predicting a candidate still it's better to just enter a dropout date than to remove the candidate completely. That way it doesn't affect their predictions. Not only is it better but I also believe it's site policy :)

Of the possibilities mentioned above, only Bliss HAS filed and announced.

Of the possibilities mentioned above, only Bliss HAS filed and announced. Yes. That's why he's the only name not in italics, as the note below the names mentions.

Ken Blackwell officially dropped out today via Twitter.

Coughlin has dropped out. http://www.rollcall.com/news/State-Senator-Ends-Ohio-Senate-Primary-Bid-209749-1.html?pos=hbtxt

Mandel somehow got deleted from this race when I hit the "delete" button below Austria's name, along with Austria. To everyone who had their predictions deleted, I wholeheartedly apologize, and can assure you that this one error will not happen again.

The errant deletion of a candidate from a race has happened to several people, and they've been honest mistakes. I seem to recall "Democratic Primary Winner" getting deleted from the Nevada Presidential election nine or ten times in 2008, and another time in which I had to stop Eddy from removing Primary Winner placeholders from several House races in Florida, after he'd already gotten around to deleting ten of them. It was a simple error, and it's not going to happen again. It's not as if the President container or Candidate page for George Washington got deleted or something.

Punishment: You will be subjected to another random round of postings by User#8073 about Rusty Bliss.

Better the pmorgan you know than the SARGE KUMP you don't, I say.

The filing deadline for this was apparently way back on December 7. The deadline to file in a party primary for Senate is 90 days before the primary, while it is 67 days for the House. Mandel seems to be the only serious Republican candidate, though I'm having trouble finding a list of filed candidates from a non-Wikipedia source (it could just be my difficulty navigating the OH SOS site).

According to the AP: Besides Mandel, who has not yet formally announced his bid, GOP candidates David Dodt of Defiance, Donna Glisman of Graytown, Eric LaMont Gregory of Beavercreek, Michael Pryce of Hudson and write-in candidate Russell Bliss Jr. filed Dec. 7 to run. Joseph DeMare of Bowling Green has filed to run as a Green Party candidate.

Mandel pretty much has to run now, since the rest of the filed candidates are frivolous. Unless there is a way for the GOP to get a new candidate in the face through some other method.

I don't understand, how can Mandel run if he's not already running and the filing deadline was a month ago?

figuring out Ohio filing is a bit tough, since the counties don't post Senate candidates and the Ohio SOS site doesn't post candidates yet

I don't understand, how can Mandel run if he's not already running and the filing deadline was a month ago? He filed before the deadline, but has not actually announced a candidacy and would hardly be the first person to file for office preemptively and bow out. That said, since no other major candidates filed, it seems unlikely he won't be the nominee.

Bliss, the "write-in" won the Lake County Tea Party straw poll vote last Saturday defeating Mandel 56%-42% securing the endorsement nod from the Lake Co. Tea Party.