Incumbents Favored In Upcoming State Elections

Former President Richard Nixon once famously said in Newsweek that, "All presidential elections come down to a single word: Ohio." Indeed, as the race gets down to the wire, Ohio is one of few remaining "swing" states that could go either to the Democrats or Republicans. Yet despite the state's pivotal role, there are remarkably few students who follow politics at the state or local level.

There are many seats up for grabs in this election, including those in the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio Supreme Court, County Commissioner, and a slew of other local positions.

One of the most high-profile races is the one for U.S. Senate. Currently, there are five candidates vying for the seat: Ted Celeste (Democrat), Sen. Mike DeWine (Republican incumbent), John Eastman (Natural Law), Patrick Allen Flower (Independent), and John R. McAlister (Libertarian). DeWine is favored.

Though each of these candidates hopes to steal a victory, historically the race has come down to Republican and Democratic candidates. One issue that separates Celeste from DeWine in this election is campaign finance reform. Celeste, a self-employed real estate agent, advocates passing the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill and building a more democratic system. For his part, DeWine co-wrote a bi-partisan campaign finance bill that places a $10,000 cap on "soft-money" donations.

In addition to his six years as senator, DeWine served four terms in the House of Representatives during the 1980s. In that time DeWine often worked closely with Democrats, in an effort to toughen laws for driving under the influence (DUI). DeWine also worked hand-in-hand with Democrats to consolidate more than 50 federal programs into three block grants more accessible to states. Yet while the senator has been lauded for going against the Republican grain, DeWine has been attacked for his traditional Republican biases against abortion and for term limits and the line-item veto.

The race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives presents equally contested struggles in both the 5th District and the 13th District. In the 5th District, the race will most likely come down to Democrat Dannie Edmon and Republican Paul E. Gillmor. Gillmor, the incumbent, has been a Congressman since 1989. In the 13th District, pollsters figure the race will be between Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican Rick Jeric. Jeric, a teacher at a local Catholic high school, favors the traditional party lines, but with a slight twist.

One of Jeric's slogans is "I am a legislator, not a career politician," one who believes that the general tax surplus should be returned to the taxpayers.

Jeric faces a tough opponent in hometown favorite Brown, who is expected to win. One of Brown's most inspired moves was his insistence on the clean-up of "brownfields," abandoned industrial sites still chemically tainted, in an area that still retains many aesthetic and environmental hazards as big industry moved out of the Rust Belt.

On the state level, there are many candidates vying to be the next representative to the Ohio House. In the race for the 62nd House District, Republican Jeffrey Manning is running against Democrat Christopher R. Rothgery. Manning, a private attorney, is particulary concerned with "tightening the departmental belts," where education is concerned. Rothgery, on the other hand, aims to apply the Ohio state tax surplus to fund education in the future.

Besides the 62nd House District, there are also races for seats in the 61st and 63rd House Districts.

In addition there are also elections for Justice in the State Supreme Court, which carries a six-year term.

At the county level, the issues are much more immediate and pressing. One of the most important issues on the ballot this year is a bond that, if passed, will clean up "brownfields." Though this bond presents a cost to taxpayers, without passing this issue Ohio will remain one of the most polluted and environmentally unsafe states in the nation.

This remains a significant concern as Ohio moves away from its industrial past and into more sustainable enterprises.

The Oberlin branch of the League of Women Voters is sponsoring a nonpartisan voter's guide that will be out in late October.