Cong. OH-3: Four Candidates Identified
A post up at DailyKos by MrLiberal identifies the following four people as having taken out nominating petitions, which are due at 4:00 pm today:
- Jane Mitakides, the 2004 nominee
- Charles W. Sanders, a frequent candidate and former Mayor in the 2nd Congressional district
- Jude Logan Demers, an unknown
- J. Richard Chema, federal prosecutor and Navy veteran
More on Chema at the exellent blog Dayton Politics. He will hold a press conference at 3:00 pm today.
UPDATE: Russell at BSB says that Roosevelt Chapman, former University of Dayton basketball player, is out collecting signatures as well.
2nd UPDATE: Jerid says at BSB that Jude Logan Demers didn't file enough valid signatures, but Roosevelt Chapman did, so delete Demers and add Chapman. Also, the Board of Elections will meet shortly to decide whether to disqualify Sanders due to the "sore loser" statute.
3rd UPDATE: The Dayton Daily News printed candidate profiles today:
Charles W. SandersIn a companion article, Mitakides says has the backing of the Clinton County Democrats. "We're going to hit the ground running," she said. "We'll capitalize on the 'clean sweep' mood of the electorate. I think this thing is going to be a horse race. It's going to be a short horse race, but it's a horse race."
Age: 59
Hometown: Waynesville
Career: Retired from Delphi, Waynesville Mayor 1995-2000, frequent congressional candidate in Ohio's Second and Third Congressional districts. Most recently lost May primary to Stephanie Studebaker.
Personal: Married for 33 years to Carolyn. No children.
Other: Perennial candidate, came in second in May primary.
Jane Mitakides
Age: 57
Hometown: Washington Twp.
Career: Ran in 2004, worked in strategic communications. For many years owned Helsley Advertising. Has worked in a variety of political campaigns, including Gore for President 1988, Clinton-Gore in 1992 and 1996 and Ann Richards gubernatorial race in 1994 and Gore-Lieberman in 2000. Ran for Ohio Democratic Party Chairmanship in 2005. Investment manager for husband's dental practice.
Personal: Married to John, two children.
Other: Name recognition from 2004 campaign; says she feels confident she can raise sufficient funds to run the campaign.
Roosevelt Chapman
Age: 44
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y., currently lives in Dayton.
Career: Former University of Dayton basketball standout; studying to get master's and doctorate in educational leadership at UD; teaches at Arise Academy Charter High School
Personal: unmarried.
Other: Legendary name recognition among UD basketball fans.
J. Richard Chema
Age: 50
Hometown: East Liverpool
Career: Resigned Thursday from 11-year career as federal prosecutor in Southern District of Ohio that followed 11 years with Judge Advocate General in the Navy stationed in San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Italy.
Personal: Married to Susan, chief litigator at NCR and also formerly with the Judge Advocate General in the Navy. They have two daughters and reside in Oakwood.
Other: An older brother, Thomas V. Chema, is well-connected in Ohio political and business circles and currently is president of Hiram College near Cleveland.
As to Chema, the article reports:
Chema ... comes with credentials as a top federal prosecutor in Ohio, an 11-year career with the Navy that included serving as legal advisor to the commander of the Naval Intelligence Command, and academic credentials that include a masters degree in law and publication of a paper about prosecuting sexual harassment in the military. ...
His brother, Tom Chema, president of Hiram College, previously served as executive directors of the project that built two major sports complexes in Cleveland, the Ohio Lottery Commission and the Public Utility Commission of Ohio. He [will] be as active as possible ..., saying "I think he is exactly the right candidate for right now. I think I can help on the fundraising side, and I've already been in touch with people who can act as consultants. We're starting from square one ... I think we can raise a reasonable about of money in a short period of time."
posted by Jeff @ 1:22 PM
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1 Comments:
The Democrats of Ohio's Third Congressional District find themselves in an great spot right now: We have four good Democrats running is a special election. This is literally "an embarrassment of riches," one slot for four good candidates.
While some say the Democratic ticket in Ohio is "a rising tide that will raise all boats," it is actually more like a tidal wave of change, unlike anything I have ever seen. We have the opportunity to win OH-3, but it is far from a sure thing.
What we must remember is this: this is not a race to replace Stephanie Studebaker. This is a race to replace Mike Turner.
We should focus on November.
I believe that I'm in the best position to beat Turner... with fresh name recognition, a base of over 119,000 who have already voted for me, proven fundraising capability and a huge volunteer base ready to go. In 2004, Bill Clinton personally endorsed me, as did John Edwards, Ann Richards and (no small thing) Ted Strickland. I learned a lot about the district and how to win it.
It's a big, four-county district, and 80 days simply isn't enough time to start from scratch, educate voters about you and your positions, and beat an incumbent Republican congressman. It's tough for a first-time candidate to win a congressional race even with a full election cycle, believe me.
In this race, lot of people are drawing parallels with the Stephanie Herseth/Melissa Bean races (they both had similar losses the first time, too). I won't argue with that logic.
Of course, there are those that disagree. That's what primaries are for.
Having said all that, let me add a cautionary note: bloggers are involved, informed, passionate political folks. We must be very careful not to let that passion get out of hand. I have never and will never attack another Democrat. The Republicans don't need my help with that.
My race doesn't employ a bloggers (actually it doesn't employ anybody until next week) and never has. While I cannot control what others write, I do not and will not condone mean-spirited, "attack" blogging. I will also never hide behind "surrogate" bloggers. If I have something to say, I'll say it myself. Hiding behind Swift Boat veterans is not for me. There's nothing I detest more than that legendary "circular firing squad."
In the cyber-world, it's easy to forget that we candidates know each other, and several of us have worked together. In 2004, I got to know Charles Sanders, and admired his dedication and spirit (as well as his beautiful and always stylish wife.) Susan and Dick Chema were supporters of mine in 2004, and I always looked forward to having their intelligent insight into the issues. The Democratic Party is lucky to have them. I've cheered Roosevelt Chapman from the stands, and look forward to getting to know him, too.
Three of us were together last night at the Warren County Democratic Party Dinner, along with former OH-3 candidate Rick Carne. It was a fun evening, positive and upbeat, and we all greeted each other warmly. We're not enemies or even adversaries. We're all Democrats, offering our services to the people of OH-3.
Sure, right now there are four candidates and one opening, but remember this: by focusing on ideas, opportunity and our visions of the future, we can emerge with one candidate AND three good, experienced candidates who will be ready to rock in 2008.
Jane Mitakides
NOTE: Either I misspoke or someone misunderstood, and I regret any confusion I may have caused. I have the endorsement of Clinton County Democratic Party Chair Ann Reno. Obviously, the Central Committee there wouldn't have had time to meet yet.
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