Cong OH-18: Republican Primary Voters Dazed and Confused

If this story in the Columbus Dispatch is any indication, rank-and-file Republican voters are all to seek about tomorrow's special primary election in the 18th Congressional District to replace disgraced incumbent Rep. Bob Ney (R-Heath) on the ballot. According to reporter James Nash, who interviewed voters in the towns of McArthur and Newark, "most said they were unaware there was a special election this week."

72-year-old Clyde Hall from McArthur is a regular voter but said he doesn’t have a clue who he’ll choose. "I feel less prepared for this election than any I’ve ever voted in. I just haven’t had a chance to get any information about the candidates."

"I don’t know who’s in the race or where any of them stand," said Tess Sexton, a registered Republican and local business owner in McArthur. "My opinion is that none of them gives a damn about anything other than themselves."

Financial analyst (and Ney's primary foe) James Brodbelt Harris (R-Zanesville) and County Commissioner Ray Feikert (R-Millersburg) call themselves Reagan Republicans and have attacked Ney's handpicked successor State Sen. Joy Padgett (R-Coschocton) (pictured) as too moderate. Harris has also lambasted her about defaulting on an SBA loan and filing for personal and business bankruptcy. Farmer and blogger Jerry Firman (R-Coschocton) is in the race as a citizen activist.

This exchange, reported in the article, is amazing:

Meeting voters in Newark, [Padgett] urged them to remember her as "the nice lady from Coshocton" and tried to win over skeptical Democrats. One such voter, retiree and veteran Gene Stevens, seemed like a hard sell.

"I grew up in a period when the working man made a decent wage and the Republicans have pushed it all into the ground," Stevens told Padgett. Undeterred, Padgett told him that if she wins Thursday’s primary, she’ll buy him a cup of coffee and try to win his vote.

So, Sen. Padgett, does that "buy you a cup of coffee" thing really work for you?