OH-12: Brooks jumps in against Tiberi
Submitted by 2010 Buckeye on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 3:58pm.
Looking to give old Pat some heartburn, Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks announced she will run for Congress in the 12th District:
In a Dispatch telephone interview today, Brooks said she has a "burning desire'' to get the country "through these tough times. Frankly, people in the district say they are disappointed in the current member and they want a fresh approach to tackling these tough problems.''
Brooks said that Gov. Ted Strickland and Mayor Michael B. Coleman have both pledged to support her effort to unseat Tiberi. She said the major issues would be "jobs, health care, and our military families and security.''
Brooks acknowledged that she does not reside in the 12th District, but said she is just "eight minutes away.'' As a county commissioner, she said already represents 60 percent of the people in the district, adding, "It's not about addresses; it's about the most important time in our country's history.''
"I was pretty resoundingly re-elected (in 2008) and I've always worked for the region,'' Brooks said.
This is an interesting move for Paula, but not a complete gamble since she runs safe from her current position. What do y'all think?
Eyebrows Raised in the Beltway
Submitted by old timey kinda guy on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 6:58pm.
Commissioner Brooks' challenge to Tiberi has prompted CQ Politics to change its initial rating of the 2010 race in Ohio’s 12th to the more competitive “Republican Favored” from “Safe Republican.”
heartburn will be all
Submitted by plunderbund on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 9:44am.
that'll be about all pat gets in this is some heartburn. a well funded candidate in a watershed dem year didn't do it. a poorly funded candidate in an historic presidential election didn't do it. pencil pat in for 2010 and move on. the best case scenario for dems here will be some kind of "we made it closer" victory. winning this district is not possible the way it is drawn. don't waste your time hoping. marginally repub? please. it's damn near 60/40 republican. what makes anyone think the district is changing so much? sure, robinson got the most dem votes ever at (152,234). that's the good news. the bad news is that pat padded his numbers by more than 50,000 to 197,447. those are 2004 numbers folks! i don't think we can close the 13-14 point gap we've seen in the last two runs. color me unconvinced. would i like it to be different? hell yes! i live here!
I Can't Think of a Stronger Democratic Candidate for the 12th CD
Paula would definitely give Tiberi a run for his money.
Although the district is marginally Repub, it is changing, just like Franklin County has been changing politically to the Dems the past 20 years.
The Repubs used to rule the roost in Franklin County for decades, give or take a Cooper-Dorrian, Harry Berkemer or a Cletus McPherson winning for the Dems.
IMO, a couple of things helped bring this about. The growth of the surrounding counties and the Repubs moving there. More importantly, the Repubs in Franklin County were more like the Rockefeller-type, than the Reagan-type, and when the national party went with the hard right-wing agenda, these nominal Repubs drifted away and started voting Dem.