OH-16: John Boccieri Called To Service Again

Since November, Senator Boccieri's phone has rung non-stop. Most recently the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was on the other end of the line imploring him to to run for Congress in Ohio's 16th District. Around Washington, the DCCC's made it known that of the 30 seats national Dems are eyeing, the 16th will be one of their top targeted races in 2008 due to it's significance in maintaining our Democratic majority, and capturing the Whitehouse.

Tonight in a telephone interview, Boccieri stated to me that he is "strongly condsidering" answering this call to service. Asked whether that answer will come in the form of filing as a candidate for Congress in the 16th District, Boccieri instead noted the "strong likelihood" that he will declare his intentions eminently.

As a statehouse aide to former Representative and current Ohio Treasurer Rich Cordray, John saw his fair share of Buckeye politics and learned to appreciate the needs of the folks that would later summon him to service. Ever since he won his first State Rep. race in 2002, community leaders haven't shied from letting John Boccieri know they have bigger plans for him. This past cycle Ohio's 33rd district elected Boccieri their new State Senator with over 97,000 votes - the largest vote tally any legislative candidate received that year. However, more impressive than his stint in public office is his 11 years of service to his country.

John's an officer and a pilot of a C-130 aircraft in the Air Force Reserve. "From my service, I know the needs of our troops - I speak with first-hand experience and credibility," Boccieri declared. During his time in the Armed Forces Boccieri has been deployed in four rotations with Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom - experience which will likely play a large part in any potential candidacy. "I fully anticipate the Iraq War, and the subsequent civil war, to be a fundamental issue in the coming year's Congressional elections and the battle for the Whitehouse," the Senator mused.

However, even a strong candidate is going to have to work in the the 16th, a district that has been held by Republican Ralph Regula since 1972. "The GOP's had a systemic, deep-rooted hold on this seat for the past 50 years," but Boccieri noted "the 16th is trending Democratic." In fact it's trending strongly - in 2004, with the funding of the national netroots, Jeff Seeman received just 33%; in 2006 unknown Thomas Shaw captured 41.6% of the vote with less than the $5,000 needed by the FEC to trigger online disclosure requirements. Congressman Regula has noticed this trend and acted quite the opposite of what one would expect out of a vulnerable officeholder. At the close of the last FEC reporting cycle he had accepted only three contributions from private individuals totaling a paltry $1,650 - leading many to question whether Regula has already decided to retire from his seat with over a year to go. "Ralph's a nice man," Bocceiri lamented, "but there's a great contrast between the two of us."

Looking at the breakdown of the district, its importance is apparent. As other bloggers have commented previously, " Stark County, the 16th's largest, has long been considered a bellwether for the state's electoral college votes." With a weak Congressional candidate in 2004, the district went for George Bush by 50.4%. National interest exists for this race because of the larger implications involved in capturing Stark County's 100k+ votes, and the possibility that it will significantly sway where Ohio's 20 electoral votes go in '08. John Boccieri has been elected from at least a portion of all but one of the four counties that make up the 16th. Folks are recruiting him heavily, and it looks as if John's almost ready to let us know his answer.

I for one am impressed and excited to see one of Ohio's rising stars get ready for the big time. If you're interested in more, John still has a website from the last cycle up at http://www.vote4john.com.