Ohio Sen. 1st: Buehrer (R) and Hoops (R) in Bitter Struggle

The hard-fought primary in the 1st Ohio Senate District between term-limited State Representatives Stephen Buehrer (R-Delta) and Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon) has been marked by heated arguments about which man is more fiscally and socially conservative.

A check of his web site reveals that Buehrer has been endorsed by the Fulton County Republican Central Committee, the National Rifle Association, the Buckeye Firearms Association, Family First, incumbent State Sen. Lynn Wachtmann (R-Napoleon), and Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R-Cincinnati), and was rated at 100% by the United Conservatives of Ohio. According to this story in the Lima News, Buehrer leads in campaign spending, having reported as of April 12 that he has $143,658 on hand after bringing forward $250,756, raising $57,085 and spending $164,206.

A look at Hoops' web site shows that he has been endorsed by the Henry and Paulding County Republican Central Committees, Ohio Right to Life, and Moms for Ohio. His April 12 fundraising numbers were $168,283 on hand after bringing forward $180,418, raising $85,028 and spending $97,164 -- less than 2/3 of what Buehrer had spent. However, Hoops has somewhat more cash on hand for the final push.

Blogger Chad Baus at Black Swamp Conservative, who is a member of the Fulton County Republican Central Committee and a solid backer of Buehrer, looked at the candidates' voting records and concluded that Buehrer is the true conservative. However, Hoops has been claiming in mailers and radio ads that Buehrer has broken his pledge to stand against tax increases. Part of the debate centers on Governor Bob Taft's last budget, which Hoops voted for and Buehrer voted against. Because the complex budget contained both tax-increasing and tax-decreasing measures, each candidate can attack the other's vote as pro-tax.

One thing the contenders have in common is receiving significant amounts of campaign cash from indicted Republican fund-raiser Tom Noe. According to this story reprinted from Findlay Courier, Buehrer received $7,975 from Noe since 2000, and Hoops received $7,227 from Noe since 1998.

The 1st District includes Fulton, Williams, Defiance, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, and Van Wert Counties. The winner of the Republican primary will face Ben Nienberg (D-Glandorf) in the general election.