Thomas J. Sheeran
Associated Press

Updated at 1:55 p.m.

 CLEVELAND: A Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year pleaded not guilty Tuesday to sex-related criminal charges.

Thomas Ganley, 68, of Brecksville, stood silently before a judge as his attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf during arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Other people awaiting arraignment gawked at the spectacle, with TV crews crowding the front of the courtroom.

Ganley, dressed in a dark suit with an American flag pin on his lapel, left court without commenting and was released after posting $25,000 bond.

He has been charged with three counts of gross sexual imposition and one count each of kidnapping, abduction, soliciting and menacing by stalking.

He allegedly groped and solicited sex from a 37-year-old woman who offered to volunteer for his campaign.

His attorney, Steve Dever, said after the arraignment that the allegations had damaged Ganley’s business reputation and harmed him politically.

“I think there are severe consequences that resulted from these accusations and the timing of them, yes, it cost him – I can’t say for sure that it cost him the election but it severely harmed his reputation,” he said.

Dever repeated Ganley’s contention that he was a victim of political extortion amid the campaign. “This case was always about money, so we look forward to our day in court,” Dever said.

Attorneys for Ganley and the woman tried to reach an out-of-court settlement before her civil suit was filed.

Ganley, who owns a car dealership, has become a familiar face in northeast Ohio where his TV ads have aired over the years.

The allegations emerged in a civil suit filed weeks before the congressional election he lost to incumbent Democrat Betty Sutton.

UPDATE: Ganley arraigned, released. Plain Dealer
Thomas J. Sheeran
Associated Press

CLEVELAND: A Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year must face a judge in Cleveland on sex-related criminal charges.

Sixty-eight-year-old Thomas Ganley of Brecksville faces arraignment Tuesday on three counts of gross sexual imposition and one count each of kidnapping, abduction, soliciting and menacing by stalking.

He was indicted two weeks ago, charged with groping and soliciting sex from a 37-year-old woman who offered to volunteer for his campaign.

Ganley, who owns a car dealership, has become a familiar face in northeast Ohio where his TV ads have aired over the years. He has denied wrongdoing.

The allegations first emerged in a civil suit filed five weeks before the congressional election he lost to incumbent Democrat Betty Sutton.

By Stephanie Warsmith
and Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writers

Summit County contributed heavily to the Republican takeover of the Ohio House, accounting for three of the 13 additional seats the GOP claimed Tuesday.

The gains also gave Republicans the majority of Summit County’s five legislative seats.

The dramatic shift left local Democrats stunned and Republicans gleeful.

”I’m actually surprised,” said state Rep. Brian Williams, D-Akron, one of the candidates who lost. ”I didn’t think I’d lose. I thought it would be close. I thought we had enough support out there.”

Summit County GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff said, ”I’m so happy I can’t see straight.”

He said Republicans won more offices within the county than Democrats for the first time since the 1930s.

Republicans reclaimed the control of the House that the Democrats had enjoyed for only two years, winning 59 of 99 seats, according to unofficial results. Republicans controlled the House for the previous 14 years.

Incumbent state Reps. Mike Moran, D-Hudson, and Steve Dyer, D-Green, also were defeated. Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, and Zack Milkovich, a first-time candidate from Akron who defeated incumbent John Otterman in the primary, were victorious.

Ohio’s GOP-skewed state legislative results mirror those throughout the United States. Republicans picked up more

than 650 seats and will control about 53 percent of the 7,382 legislative positions nationwide.

”It was pretty much a Republican sweep across the country,” said Tim Storey, an elections analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver. ”It’s the biggest shift in the country since Watergate, and it leaves Republicans with the most seats since 1928.”

Storey said the GOP also gained majorities in at least 18 legislative chambers nationwide, including Ohio, and Republicans now are in a commanding position to redraw congressional and state district lines.

Economy dogs Democrats

Storey attributed the Republican swell to the economic climate and the fact there were more Republicans and fewer Democrats running for state legislative seats.

”They went after a lot of seats because they knew they had a tail wind,” he said.

John Green, director of the University of Akron’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, was surprised by the Republican legislative gains — both statewide and in Summit County.

”With my reading of the tea leaves, I thought the Republicans likely would take back control,” he said. ”But I didn’t think they would get as many seats as they ended up getting.”

In Summit, Green thought the GOP might gain one or two seats.

Green attributes the impressive GOP gains to backlash against Democrats and to the high quality of the Republican challengers, who were well-funded. He also thinks negative campaigning in the races, particularly the Moran-versus-Kristina Daley Roegner and William-versus-Lynn Slaby matchups, might have influenced some voters.

The Republicans’ 19-seat majority in the House means the party probably will have more success getting legislation passed, Green said.

By taking back the House and winning all of the statewide seats — from governor on down — the Republicans essentially wiped away the gains the Democrats had made since 2006, Green said.

”One of the things we know from the 2006 and 2010 elections is that a lot of voters expect action,” Green said. ”They are willing to switch parties if they are dissatisfied.

”The Republicans now have a real challenge: They have to govern effectively or we may have another of these elections.”

Concerns ahead

Williams, who worked for the Akron Public Schools, including as superintendent, for 37 years before being elected to the legislature in 2004, is concerned about how the Republican-controlled House will handle school funding.

”For the 16 years when the Republicans were in charge of the House, Senate and governor’s chair, school districts suffered,” he said.

Williams hopes the new legislature won’t ”tear apart” or ”underfund” Gov. Ted Strickland’s school-funding changes.

The shift in numbers means leadership changes as well.

Sykes will lose control of the powerful House Finance and Appropriations Committee, which will play a key role in deciding how to address a projected $8 billion hole in the state budget. And, state Rep. William Batchelder, R-Medina, finally will get the chance to be speaker, a position he has aspired to hold.

The challenges will be a tall order for Summit County’s delegation — four of five will be new to the job.

Roegner, a Hudson councilwoman who campaigned on the need for smaller government and more fiscal responsibility, said she’s up to the task. She said she won’t let down the people who supported and prayed for her during her campaign.

”I will work my hardest to represent their will down in Columbus,” she said.

So how did Ohio’s eight largest newspaper editorial boards and voters compare in their selections for state and federal offices?

Voters’ choices are in bold.

For Governor
John Kasich (R): Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch, Canton Repository
Ted Strickland (D): Dayton Daily News, Akron Beacon Journal, Toledo Blade, Youngstown Vindicator

For U.S. Senate
Rob Portman (R): Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch , Canton Repository
Lee Fisher (D): Dayton Daily News, Akron Beacon Journal, Youngstown Vindicator, Toledo Blade

For 13th Congressional District
Betty Sutton (D): Akron Beacon Journal, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Tom Ganley (R):

For 16th Congressional District
John Boccieri (D): Akron Beacon Journal, Canton Repository
Jim Renacci (R):

For 17th Congressional District
Tim Ryan (D): Akron Beacon Journal, Youngstown Vindicator
Jim Graham (R):
Jim Traficant (I):

For Attorney General
Richard Cordray (D): Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dayton Daily News, Akron Beacon Journal, Youngstown Vindicator
Mike DeWine (R):

For Secretary of State
Jon Husted (R): Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, Akron Beacon Journal, Toledo Blade, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Youngstown Vindicator
Maryellen O’Shaughnessy (D):

For Auditor
David Pepper (D): Cincinnati Enquirer, Dayton Daily News, Akron Beacon Journal, Toledo Blade, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Youngstown Vindicator
Dave Yost (R):

For Treasurer
Kevin Boyce (D): Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, Youngstown Vindicator
Josh Mandel (R): Dayton Daily News, Toledo Blade, Columbus Dispatch
Matthew Cantrell (L): Cleveland Plain Dealer

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice
Maureen O’Connor (R): Dayton Daily News, Toledo Blade, Youngstown Vindicator, Canton Repository
Eric Brown (D): Akron Beacon Journal , Cleveland Plain Dealer

Ohio Supreme Court Justice
Judith Ann Lanzinger (R): Dayton Daily News, Akron Beacon Journal , Cleveland Plain Dealer, Youngstown Vindicator
Mary Jane Trapp (D): Toledo Blade

Republican John Boehner will become Ohio’s third Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Previous speakers, both Republicans, are:
J. Warren Kiefer, 1881-83
Nicholas Longworth, 1925-31

Of the last 100 years, Republicans have held the Speaker’s seat only 28. The Speaker to have served the most years was Sam Rayburn of Texas, who served intermittently for a total of about 17 years.

Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times today reports that Boehner takes his new post facing an electorate that wanted to bounce incumbents but with no clear message about how to proceed, with the exception of one.

Indeed, Mr. Boehner and his party were delivered no clear mandate from voters, who, polls suggested, were rejecting a policy agenda more than they were rallying around one. One demand resonated loudly: the reduction of federal spending immediately, a daunting goal. Yet, among the first things that Mr. Boehner has said he will seek to accomplish are reversing cuts to the Medicare program and extending the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, steps that are hard to reconcile with a commitment to reining in the national debt.

Richard E. Cohen of Politico says Boehner may be the right person for such a contentious time.

He knows how to lose — he was ousted in 1998 from the no. 4 GOP leadership spot by Tom DeLay-led revolt, and many political observers thought his career was over. Today, Boehner is the Speaker-elect and DeLay is on trial in Texas.

And he knows how to legislate – he worked with Ted Kennedy and President George W. Bush on the landmark No Child Left Behind bill. He’s a conservative but not a bomb throwing ideologue who sees the other side as the enemy.

Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer

It was deja vu again in the 14th Congressional District.

Republican incumbent Steven C. LaTourette handily defeated Democrat Bill O’Neill, a pediatric emergency room nurse and a retired appeals court judge, in a repeat of the 2008 election.

John Jelenic of Willoughby Hills was the Libertarian Party candidate, as he was in 2008.

The Associated Press declared LaTourette the winner a few minutes after 8 p.m. He had nearly 67 percent of the vote.

LaTourette, 56, of Bainbridge Township in Geauga County, was pleased by the outcome of Tuesday’s vote.

”In a year when voter discontent bubbled to the surface, and being an incumbent, to get more than 65 percent of the vote is humbling,” he said. ”Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and perform. . . . It’s all good.”

LaTourette, an attorney and former Lake County prosecutor, said he was surprised by the margin over O’Neill but not the outcome.

He ran well in all seven counties in the district.

The economy remains the No. 1 issue and voters are unhappy with what’s happening in Washington, D.C., he said.

More needs to be done to boost the economy, produce jobs and resolve uncertainties for American businesses, he said.

LaTourette was especially critical of President Obama’s federal stimulus efforts.

He has touted his efforts to get millions of dollars for highway and infrastructure projects in Northeast Ohio, and save 1,100 Defense Finance and Accounting Service jobs in Cleveland.

O’Neill, 63, of South Russell in Geauga County, had just under 30 percent of the vote in early returns. Jelenic had 2.7 percent.

The district covers all of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties and parts of Summit, Portage, Cuyahoga and Trumbull counties.

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.

By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer

Democrat Tim Ryan was elected to his fifth term in Congress on Tuesday.

Ryan, 37, defeated Republican Jim Graham and Independent former U.S. Rep. Jim Traficant in the 17th District, which covers portions of Mahoning, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties, and includes the cities of Youngstown, Warren, Tallmadge and portions of Akron.

”I would just like to thank all the wonderful people who have supported me throughout this campaign,” Ryan said. ”While I am thrilled with this victory, I believe this is a strong endorsement of my work to promote economic development, support research and new technologies, encourage innovation, and improve access to education.”

Ryan said that although ”there is much work left to do, I believe we are on the right track toward creating a brighter future for the residents and businesses in northeastern Ohio.”

Ryan, of Niles, a Bowling Green State University and Franklin Pierce Law Center graduate, once worked as an aide to Traficant.

He is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Graham, 57, a pharmacist from Cortland, was seeking his first political office.

His decision to run for Congress came as result of opposition to the health-reform bill that was passed in December.

Traficant, 69, of Poland, a former sheriff and longtime congressman from the Mahoning valley, spent seven years in federal prison for corruption.

Ryan raised more money and outspent Graham. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Ryan, as of Oct. 13, had raised about $1 million and spent slightly more than that.

Graham raised $62,548 and spent just $48,034.

By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer

Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton will keep her 13th District House seat for a third term.

Sutton defeated her Republican opponent, political newcomer Tom Ganley, in Tuesday’s election.

”Thank you! Because of our hard work together and your tireless efforts, tonight we achieved a critical victory for the people of Northeast Ohio,” Sutton told supporters at Todaro’s Party Center in Akron.

”In this campaign and truly throughout the past four years, we have made great strides in a short time by standing up and fighting together. We have fought to prevent outsourcing of good-paying manufacturing jobs, we have stood up to the big corporations that try to take advantage of the middle class, and we have always worked to make life better for our workers and our families.”

Sutton received about 60 percent of the votes. She dominated Summit and Lorain counties. Ganley fared better in Cuyahoga and Medina counties.

Ganley, 67, of Brecksville, the
owner of 32 car dealerships — the largest auto group in Ohio — was the most formidable challenger Sutton has had to face yet.

The self-made millionaire spent more than $2.6 million of his own money on his campaign.

Sutton spent $1.6 million in campaign donations.

Late in the campaign, Ganley pulled many of his television ads and redistributed his money to local cable television.

Both campaigned on promises to improve the economy and bring back jobs.

Sutton, who is backed by many labor groups, said she has always fought for jobs for Northeast Ohio and stood up against big corporations trying to take advantage of the middle class. She said she also stood up to credit-card companies and helped pass the Credit Cardholder Bill of Rights.

”I’ve also fought for the middle class when I stood up to the insurance companies that would deny people coverage for pre-existing conditions . . . and fought to close the doughnut hole that was forcing seniors to choose between their medication and putting food on the table or heat in their house.”

Ganley had promised to bring a business sense to Congress based on his experience as a businessman. He also owns insurance, finance and real-estate companies.

He touted how he has a record of creating budgets and staying within them.

Sutton is best known for the legislation she sponsored called the CARS Act — or Cash for Clunkers, which led to the sale of more than 700,000 cars.

During the campaign, Ganley acknowledged his businesses were able to take advantage of the program and sold about 900 vehicles at his dealerships.

Both favored tax cuts to small businesses.

Sutton already supported the Small Business Jobs Bill, which includes $30 billion for lending to small businesses and $12 billion in tax cuts.

Sutton first ran for Congress in 2006, when Sherrod Brown gave up the seat to run for the U.S. Senate.

Before winning the 13th District seat, Sutton served on the Barberton City Council and Summit County Council.

She also served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives.

She is a labor attorney and also worked in private practice with the firm of Faulkner, Muskovitz & Phillips LLP (FMP).

Sutton sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She also serves on the Subcommittee on Health, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

By Steven Thomma
and David Lightman
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON: Some angry and some anxious, American voters head into the final hours of a bitter campaign for control of the Congress poised to throw Democrats out of power in at least part of the Capitol and slam the brakes on President Barack Obama’s agenda.

The wave building against the Democrats doesn’t automatically mean a mandate for Republicans. Coming just four years after voters threw the Republicans out of control of Congress, and two years after throwing them out of the White House, this year’s expected turn against the Democrats suggests a country looking for a government more responsive to its desires and anxieties and quick to punish any party that doesn’t deliver fast enough.

Democrats are bracing to lose control of the House of Representatives. Top independent analysts last week issued their final forecasts, predicting Democrats will lose between 45 and 60 House seats; a loss of 39 is enough to drive them from power.

They’re more confident Democrats will hold onto nominal control of the Senate. Top analysts said the Democrats likely would lose six to nine seats, short of the 10 seats that would end their majority. The independent analysts cautioned, however, that the figure could go higher: Since 1930, every time voters have thrown one party out of control of the House, they’ve done the same thing in the Senate.

The wholesale rejection of Democrats likely will sweep through state capitals as well, where Democrats now control 26 governor’s offices and Republicans hold 24. The forecasts: Democrats will lose six to nine.

Voting — already under way in many states — wraps up Tuesday night. Voters will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 37 senators and governors in 37 states.

Despite polls showing Democrats closing the gap in some states, the forces dominating public attitudes over the last two years have shown little change — primarily a frustratingly slow recovery from a deep recession.

”We’ve had $4 billion spent, half a million TV ads, hundreds of debates,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. ”But the fundamentals of this election were in place by mid-summer and there was almost nothing the Democrats could do to change those fundamentals.”

Obama barnstormed the country into the final weekend trying to save Democratic seats, hitting Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois and Ohio.

Money poured into the campaign as well, as much as $800 million in the final days alone, driving the total near $4 billion and financing an unprecedented torrent of TV ads.

Emotions ran high. In Kentucky, a supporter of Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul recently stomped on a liberal activist’s head. In Alaska, aides to Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller handcuffed a reporter who tried to ask the candidate a question.

”This election is kind of a therapeutic outburst,” said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University.

”People are dissatisfied with the direction of the country, and they’re taking it out on the people in power,” said Nathan Gonzales, the political editor of the Rothenberg Political Report.

Unhappiness abounds

There’s little doubt that there’s a backlash against the Democrats — conservatives angry at soaring federal spending and debt, and liberals disappointed the party didn’t go further on issues such as health care, regulation of Wall Street or climate change.

It isn’t, however, a clear mandate for any Republican agenda.

House Republicans laid out a platform calling for spending cuts, but declined to endorse more aggressive specifics, such as overhauling entitlement spending, a touchstone for many Tea Party conservatives.

Moreover, Americans are more closely divided than pundits let on.

A McClatchy Newspapers-Marist poll last week, for example, showed that 37 percent of likely voters said Obama has a better plan for the country, 31 percent said the Republicans do, and 27 percent said neither.

The survey also showed that likely voters, by a ratio of 68 percent to 27 percent, want congressional Republicans to work with Obama.

”People aren’t voting for solutions,” Gonzales said. ”They’re voicing their dissatisfaction.”

Final forecasts

In the House, Rothenberg predicted Republican gains of 45-55 seats; Sabato predicted 55, and Charles Cook of the Cook Political Report predicted 48-60.

In the Senate, Rothenberg predicted GOP gains of six to eight, Sabato predicted eight, and Cook predicted six to eight.

Among governors, Sabato predicted Republican gains of eight to nine, and Cook predicted six to eight.

A key dynamic is the fact that Democrats gained House seats in the past two elections, many in conservative districts. While Democrats interpreted the gains as an embrace of the party and its ideas, they just as likely were a rejection of Republicans.

Now, many of those incumbent Democrats are vulnerable to charges that they’re out of step with their more conservative districts.

What’s hurting moderates: Votes for Obama’s economic stimulus (although quite a few of them opposed it) and more significantly, the health-care overhaul.

”That was a defining vote for a lot of Democratic incumbents,” said Republican strategist Neil Newhouse. ”It epitomized big, wasteful government spending.”

New members of Congress, though, aren’t the only ones fighting for political survival.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is in danger of being defeated by Republican Sharron Angle, a Tea Party favorite.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is in a close contest with Republican Dino Rossi.

Other senior Democrats fighting to hold their seats include Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., the chairman of the House Budget Committee; Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., a 26-year veteran; and Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, a 20-year veteran and the chairman of an appropriations subcommittee.

By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal staff writer
The owner of a chain of McDonald’s restaurants in Stark County has issued an apology after sending a letter with his employees’ paychecks encouraging them to vote for three Republicans.

Businessman Paul Siegfried sent out the apology Friday after area Democrats and Canton attorney Allen Schulman threatened to file lawsuits.

‘‘Which we think is too little, too late,’’ Schulman said of the apology.

The original letter to dozens of employees encouraged them to vote for GOP candidates John Kasich for governor, Rob Portman of the U.S. Senate and Jim Renacci for the 16th District seat in Congress.

Schulman said the letter violates state elections laws governing employer influence and intimidation of workers.

In the letter, Siegfried writes that employee wages at his company can only be raised ‘‘if the right people’’ are elected.

‘‘If others are elected, we will not,’’ he wrote.

The owner then encourages his workers to vote for the three Republicans.

In a statement released Friday, Siegfried said the letter to his employees was an ‘‘error in judgment on my part.’’

Randy Snow, a Canton attorney representing the businessman, said Siegfried was unaware of the law and had no intent to violate it.

‘‘He was trying to protect his business and meant no harm or interference,’’ Snow said Friday.

The letter was first reported by the OhioDaily Web site.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office released a statement about alleged voter intimidating, saying her office would be ‘‘investigating this and any other similar incidents and reporting our findings to the Ohio Attorney General.’’

The statement also said: ‘‘Ohio law is clear that employees cannot be subjected to intimidation or threats by an employer stating that job benefits will be affected by the election or defeat of one or more candidates. The voting public must not be affected by votes gained or lost in this way.’’

Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or
ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.

Politico, which consults several political analysts for projections on key Congressional races, shows that four analysts believe incumbent Democrat Betty Sutton will defeat Tom Ganley for the 13 Congressional District, which includes western Summit County and parts of Medina and Lorain.

The race between Republican Jim Renacci and incumbent John Boccieri in the 16th, representing Stark, Wayne, southern Medina and Ashland, is closer. Two say the race is still a toss-up, while two say the race may be tilting Republican.

Politico’s complete national analysis of all key races can be found at: http://www.politico.com/2010/house-tracker/

     Americans for Prosperity’s November Is Coming Bus Tour will roll through the Akron-Canton area Monday, the day before the election.

      The tour will stop at Walnut Avenue Northeast, between Third Street Northeast and Fourth Street Northeast in Canton at 9:30 a.m. and at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse Square at East High Avenue, between First Drive Northeast and Second Street Northeast in New Philadelphia at 11:30 a.m.

    The tour is urging residents to hold congressional members accountable for supporting ”big government programs or any other freedom-killing policies.” U.S. Reps. Betty Sutton and John Boccieri, both local Democrats, are among the group’s targets.
     The group is asking people to sign a petition telling Congress to vote against big-government legislation, including stimulus funding and health-care reform, or be voted out.

Almost never does a president see his party win seats in Congress in a midterm election.

PBS NewsHour host William Lehrer interviewed two election historians on the importance of midterm elections on his Oct. 27 newscast, and they discussed how Congress tends to swing with the presidential elections, then in the opposite direction in off years.

Only twice have voters voted with the president’s party in the midterm in the past century, and each time was under historic circumstances. Once was in 1934 as the nation began to recover from the lowest point of the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the benefactor. The other time was 2002, barely a year after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. George W. Bush was president then.

Winning statewide offices in Ohio this year will be huge for Republicans as the state undergoes its next round of redrawing Congressional and state legislative district boundaries.

Politico senior Congressional writer Richard Cohen explores the reapportionment idea today.

Census data, which is the basis for determining the number of Congressional representatives from each state, indicate Ohio will likely lose some seats. If Republicans control the key state seats, they may be able to redraw boundaries to squeeze out Democrats.

“If Republicans are in control, they could reduce to three or four the number of Democratic seats in Ohio, by packing Democrats into urban areas,” said Michael Sargeant, executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which represents state lawmakers from across the country.

However, Cohen notes that Republicans are cautious, because no matter how they redraw the lines, freshman Republicans who win election next week would be the most vulnerable in the next election.

The full story is here.

Dan Sewell
Associated Press

WEST CHESTER, OHIO: As Republican John Boehner gets closer to the prize of U.S. House speaker, not everyone back home is convinced about the value of a new pinnacle for the local guy who’s been winning elections for three decades.

Boehner’s long-standing support in his western Ohio district allows the House minority leader to spend time away, campaigning for GOP candidates, as his party tries to reclaim the House next week with him in line to become speaker. But critics warn the speakership would increase neglect of his district in favor of Washington politics.

Boehner also personally opposes earmarks and pledges to cut federal spending, but admirers see his increasing national profile as a boost for the region’s image and added clout to look out for its interests.

”When you have the third-most powerful person in the country, it counts for something,” said Ed Shelton, a longtime local officeholder in Hamilton, north of Cincinnati.

Catherine Stoker, a township trustee in suburban West Chester, countered that. ”You can’t eat prestige. Prestige does not bring road improvements and does not repair the Brent Spence Bridge,” she said, referring to a deteriorating Ohio River span connecting Cincinnati to Kentucky.

Since winning his congressional election in 1990, Boehner, a former state legislator, has been re-elected with 64 to 74 percent of the vote in the 8th House District of pleasant suburbs, struggling industrial cities and rural stretches north of Cincinnati.

However, billboards have popped up needling him about time spent golfing, a daily newspaper in his home county says he should debate in his district, and his Democratic opponent in Tuesday’s election says he is putting political ambitions first.

Shelton, a Republican, said Boehner was instrumental in gaining permits and licensing for Hamilton’s new hydroelectric plant project, and local business people say he has helped navigate interstate highway interchange construction and other key projects through federal agencies.

”Everything we asked for, John was there for us,” said Shelton, a former Butler County commissioner and Hamilton city councilman.

Boehner supporters say he reflects the conservative views of his constituents in opposing the policies of President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Democratic House nominee, Justin Coussoule, argues that Boehner isn’t helping with opposition to the health care overhaul and federal stimulus spending that Coussoule says can benefit many people in a district with unemployment that has been near double digits.

”John Boehner is out running for speaker and is looking past all of us,” Coussoule said.

Boehner has campaigned for dozens of other GOP candidates nationwide. The Hamilton JournalNews recently called on him editorially to come home and debate Coussoule, saying voters deserve ”the opportunity to hear him (Boehner).”

Coussoule, 35, a West Point graduate and former Procter & Gamble Co. employee, is generally considered the most substantial Democratic candidate against Boehner since the Republican won his seat with 61 percent of the vote. Coussoule is running television ads, makes campaign appearances throughout the district and is sweeping it with direct mail.

Don Popps, a honey farmer and General Motors retiree near Oxford, said he has long thought Boehner did little for his district. He has been impressed with Coussoule, in part because the Democrat has yard signs, something a prior nominee never even had, Popps said.

”Justin is the first candidate I’ve seen in a long time who’s serious,” he said.

The Blue America political action committee put up some ”Beat Boehner” billboard messages along Interstate 75 near Boehner’s suburban home. However, Boehner can raise many more times what Coussoule can — he took in $2.8 million last quarter to the Democrat’s $103,691.

Boehner, 60, has rebutted Democratic efforts to portray him as an out-of-touch elitist with anecdotes about his hardscrabble, ”regular guy” past, working at his father’s bar and putting himself through college with odd jobs and night shifts. He started in politics as a homeowners association leader, then as township trustee in the West Chester area, which has nearly tripled in population to about 65,000 since 1980.

Tracy Brewer, a suburban mother of two in nearby Fairfield Township, said she shares Boehner’s fiscal conservatism but questions whether having him as speaker would make a big difference.

”I would be concerned because we would still have the president that we have,” she said. ”And you (Republicans) had control before, so what is going to happen, really, to get this economy back on track?”