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Home , Alice Robie Resnick, Armond Budish, Betty Montgomery, Bob McEwen, Bob Ney, Bob Shamansky

The Hannah Report

Special Election Edition

May 3, 2006

2006 Results

Party caucuses held a few surprises Tuesday. There were a number of anticipated blow-outs and several nail-biters, including a seven-way Democratic primary in the 10th House District that was still too close to call at end of business Wednesday.

Results remain officially "unofficial" in all races and do not reflect provisional voting. Absentee ballots were also out in Cuyahoga County, where the election board was forced to count votes by hand in the 10th District and other races. A disclaimer at the secretary of state's website notes that results will be final 81 days after the date on which county boards of elections have all completed official canvases, which must be no later than May 23, 2006.

Statewide Races

U.S. Rep. (D-) easily overcame his opponent to win the Democratic caucus for governor by a factor of four. was unable to capitalize on allegations concerning a former Strickland staffer arrested for public indecency. On the Republican side, Secretary of State banked on a well-organized and financially generous grassroots effort to pass Attorney General for the gubernatorial nomination.

In the attorney general campaign, Sen. Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland) acknowledged the inevitability of former attorney general 's bid for another Republican nomination to her old job, conceding early Tuesday to the sitting auditor. Among Democrats, former law director Subodh Chandra won numerous newspaper endorsements -- though not his party's -- for attorney general, which was instead claimed by leading workers' comp critic Sen. (D-Liberty Twp.)

In what will likely be seen as the consensus upset of the 2006 primary, Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien ran a successful race to the right of incumbent Treasurer , the former Taft lieutenant governor whom O'Brien panned for her pro-choice stance and her opposition to concealed carry. The winner likely drew on supporter turnout for Ken Blackwell's gubernatorial campaign. O'Brien bested Bradley by a respectable three-and-a-half points, setting up a November contest with Franklin County Treasurer .

In the , first-term Justice Terrence O'Donnell will have to wait a few more months for a rematch with Judge William O'Neill of the 11th District Court of Appeals, who lost by a wide margin in 2004 and who since called for the recusal of O'Donnell and Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger from State ex. rel. Dann v. Taft in a disciplinary complaint to the Supreme Court of Ohio. Both O'Donnell and O'Neill entered the primary with a "recommended" rating from the Ohio State Bar Association, while several other Supreme Court candidates came "highly recommended."

In the race for departing Justice 's seat, Columbus attorney Ben Espy turned a lengthy Democratic political career and widespread name recognition as former Senate minority leader to his advantage, wresting the nomination from Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Peter Sikora. Espy will now face former state senator, Judge Robert Cupp of the 3rd District Court of Appeals.

Sitting U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Rep. (D-Ohio) posted similar numbers in their respective primaries for the upper chamber, each claiming roughly three fourths of the vote to set up the November election. DeWine was able to overcome criticism within his own party over a reputation for straying from conservative causes.

Ohio House

In the Ohio House, attorney trounced his closest rival, high school Thaddeus Jackson, by a two-to-one margin, claiming the rights to an uncontested race for the 8th District seat of Rep. (D-Shaker Hts.), now looking to replace term-limited Sen. (D-Cleveland).

In the 9th District, former Rep. Barbara Boyd overwhelmed Julian Rogers, onetime assistant to former Cleveland schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, by a factor of two in the Democratic primary. Boyd will face Cleveland Heights City Council member Jimmie Hicks Jr. this fall.

The candidacy of term-limited Rep. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) to outgoing Senate Minority Leader C.J. Prentiss's (D-Cleveland) seat set up a free-for-all in the 10th District between seven Democrats. The spirited political season got a boost when a missing endorsement from the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party left the race wide open. At close of business Wednesday, Eugene Miller, Bill Newsome, Nelson Cintron, and Freddie Moore were each within several dozen votes of their closest rival, a group separated from top to bottom by no more than 100 ballots. The winner will face Republican Rosalind McAllister in the fall election.

Sandra Williams, former aide to the outgoing Rep. Annie Key (D-Cleveland), edged Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor T.J. Dow in a primary involving six Democrats. Former Cleveland Board of Education member Stephen D. Sullivan posted respectable numbers in the number three slot. Williams' victory sets up an uncontested race for the 11th District.

In the 13th House District, incumbent Rep. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood) easily defeated homemaker Ben Perry by a four-to-one margin, setting up a fall election with John Hildrebrand.

With the move of Dale Miller from the House to the Senate, House Democrats decided to wait until after the primary to choose Miller's replacement in the 14th District. That is no longer a question. Bill Ritter, a Cleveland school teacher, will be taking up the post. His race became controversial during the last throes of the campaign when he distributed literature some Democrats saw as "gay bashing." The fallout cost Ritter an endorsement from the UAW Cuyahoga-Medina CAP Council. The Cleveland Union and its affiliate, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, publicly expressed their dismay over his remarks. Executive Director Mike Foley of the Cleveland Tenants Organization trailed Ritter in second place, while former Rep. Erin Sullivan Lally placed a distant third.

In the 18th House District, Ron Mottl, a former congressman and state representative, was unable to make a comeback. Mottl faced John Celebrezze -- a popular surname in Cleveland politics -- in the primary. Celebrezze will be running against Republican incumbent in November.

Speaking of familiar names, , brother of former Gov. and a former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate who ran unsuccessfully against , will be trying to unseat Republican incumbent Geoff Smith of Upper Arlington in November. Celeste won the four-way Democratic primary in the 24th House District with 66.52 percent of the vote. Democrats are counting on Celeste to take this district, as John Kerry did surprisingly well in what has always been considered a Republican stronghold.

The 26th House District has proven to be a hard one to retain for more than one term. Rep. Mike Mitchell, who upset Democratic incumbent Larry Price during the 2004 primary, was himself upset by Tracy Heard. Heard is a well-known name in Franklin County, with her mother-in-law having served on the Columbus Board of Education for many years.

Dale Mallory is hoping he will be able to hold the seat in the 32nd House District once held by his father, former House Minority Leader William Mallory, and his brother, the former representative and senator who is currently the mayor. Dale Mallory had a tight race with Eve Bolton, the former county recorder who also ran a losing campaign for Cincinnati City Council last year. Mallory won with 44.64 percent of the vote to Bolton's 41.31 percent.

Former and Cleveland Browns football linebacker Tom Cousineau, with over 68 percent of the vote, won his Republican primary against Twinsburg City Councilman Stephen Murphy in the 41st House District. The Republicans hope they can regain the seat from one-termer Brian Williams, who narrowly defeated Marilyn Slaby two years ago.

Former Rep. handily won his Democratic primary in the 44th House District with 77.54 percent of the vote. He is hoping to keep the seat in the family by replacing his wife, Barbara Sykes, who has decided to run for state auditor. Mrs. Sykes had replaced Mr. Sykes when he was term-limited.

Six candidates vied for the Democratic nomination to replace term-limited Rep. Sylvester D. Patton Jr. (D-Youngstown) in the 60th House District. legislator Sen. Robert F. Hagan, also term-limited, won the race with 37.70 percent of the vote. His closest opponent was Daniel Yemma, who owns Capital Financial Solutions Inc. and is a Struthers city council member. No Republican filed in the 60th House District, which includes Youngstown, Campbell, Struthers, Lowellville, Coitsville, and nine eastern Austintown precincts.

It appears there will be a recount in the Republican primary for the 61st House District. Brant Luther received 3,952 votes, while Randy Pope received 3,942. Luther was an Alliance City Council member from 1999 to 2003. He was appointed Stark County auditor in 2004 and lost the election in 2005. Pope, who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. in the last two elections, was an Alliance councilman in 2004 and 2005. He lost races for Alliance treasurer in 2001 and Alliance City Council in 2005. Because incumbent Rep. John Boccieri (D-New Middletown) is running for the to replace term-limited Sen. Bob Hagan, whoever wins the recount will face Canton attorney Mike Okey in the general election.

For those who remember House Republican Minority Leader Corwin Nixon during the Riffe years, his grandson, Corwin Keith Nixon, has lost a tight race in the 67th House District. , former staffer to both Congressman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) -- led the contest by 203 votes. The seat is currently held by Rep. Tom Raga (R-Mason), who opted to join the Blackwell gubernatorial campaign as a lieutenant governor hopeful.

Rep. Derrick Seaver (R-Minster), who was the youngest elected representative in Ohio's history, was initially elected as a Democrat but later switched to the Republican side. Seaver has now decided to give up the political world, at least for now, and concentrate on his law school studies. Seaver's aide while on the Democratic side, Adam Ward, won his primary with 50.22 percent of a three-way battle in the 78th House District.

The 91st House District is being vacated by Rep. (R-Ashville), who lost his primary bid against Rep. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) for the seat currently held by Sen. (R-Newark). A Republican newcomer, William Hayes, will now be facing the Democrat Dann Dodd in the 91st. Hayes is a practicing attorney in Pataskla and, according to his website, is a member of the NRA as well as a pro-lifer who says "a stronger coalition should be developed between the government and private sector so that the entire educational system better meets the needs of society." Dodd, who had no primary opponent, is also a practicing attorney who served in Washington, D.C. as an intern for U.S. Sen. in 1998.

Athens City Councilwoman Debbie Phillips won the right to face Rep. Jimmy Stewart (R-Athens) after winning the Democratic primary for the 92nd District. She defeated Michael Struble, president of the Athens-Meigs Education Service Center governing board.

In the 99th House District, William Pikor won the Republican primary and will face Rep. George Distel (D-Conneaut) in the general election. Pikor, an account manager for Columbus-based National Plastics & Chemical Corp. who lost to Distel in 2004 as a replacement candidate, defeated Donald Rogers, a first-time candidate.

Ohio Senate

Rep. Steve Buehrer (R-Delta) easily won his primary against Rep. (R- Napoleon) in the 1st Senate District by a margin of nearly 4,000 votes, according to unofficial results. Buehrer will now face Democrat Ben Nienberg, who lost to Hoops during a bid for the House in 2004.

Democrat Susan Morano will face off against Republican Martha Wise in the fall for the 13th Senate District after defeating Diana Huska in the primary. Morano, a registered nurse, lost her bid for the seat in 2002 when she fell to Sen. Jeff Armbruster (R-N. Ridgeville) by fewer than 400 votes. Armbruster could not run again due to term limits.

Thomas Burkhart, who has mounted three previous attempts for a Statehouse or congressional seat, will get another chance. He defeated Jason Griffith in the Democratic primary for the right to face Senate President Bill Harris(R-Ashland) in the 19th District.

In the race to replace Senate Minority Leader C.J. Prentiss (D-Cleveland) in the 21st Senate District, Rep. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) is leading Rep. Annie Key (D- Cleveland) by a wide margin for the Democratic nomination. Republican Richard Norris, who lost to Prentiss in 2002, beat real estate consultant Burrell Jackson by a factor of two.

Two months after being appointed to the Senate, Cleveland-area Democrats gave Dale Miller a primary win over liberal activist Jennifer Frigolette in the 23rd Senate District. He will face Republican Howard Shrimpton of Parma in the fall.

Judy Hanna, an adjunct history professor at the University of Akron, will face Sen. Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls) this fall in the 27th Senate District, having defeated former volunteer Kevin Griffith in the Democratic primary.

Rep. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) won another battle of state representatives seeking a move up to the Senate, defeating Rep. Ron Hood (R-Ashville) in the 31st District by more than five percentage points. Schaffer will face Lancaster school teacher Dennis Lupher this fall for a seat being vacated by term-limited Sen. Jay Hottinger (R-Newark), who is running in the Ohio House.

U.S. House

Incumbent Rep. (R-Ohio) overcame a Congressional gaffe and an endorsement flap to beat former U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen by more than five points in the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District. McEwen, also a former state representative and congressman lost despite the backing of numerous conservative policy advocates, former U.N. Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick, former U.S. attorney general Ed Meese, and of Empower America. Schmidt must now defend her record against Democrat Dr. Victoria Wuslin, who heads up a nonprofit AIDS prevention group.

Findlay businessman Frank Guglielmi failed to cast himself as the superior conservative in the 4th Congressional District, losing badly to Sen. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) for the Republican nomination. Jordan will meet Lima attorney Richard Siferd in November.

In the 6th Congressional District being vacated by gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, Sen. Charlie Wilson (D-St. Clairsville) survived a petition faux pas and a hastily organized write-in campaign to claim a three-to-one margin over his closest Democratic rival, Bob Carr of Wellsville. Wilson will face Rep. Chuck Blasdell (R-East Liverpool) in the general election. This is expected to be a very expensive election which will garner much national attention.

Steelworker Bradley Leavitt, a first-time candidate, beat Ed Emery in the Republican primary for the 9th District. Emery had mounted several unsuccessful campaigns for the seat before his latest defeat. Leavitt will now face incumbent U.S. Rep. (D-Ohio) in November.

In the 10th Congressional District, Middleburg Heights consultant Michael Dovilla, a former staff member of a Senate management oversight subcommittee and a former director in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, will take on U.S. Rep. (D-Ohio) after both won their primaries.

Bob Shamansky has won a shot at his old seat after beating three other Democrats in the 12th District primary. Shamansky held the seat for one term in the early 1980s before losing to . He faces incumbent U.S. Rep. (R-Ohio) in the general election.

In the 13th District, former Rep. got the nod in a crowded primary of eight Democrats. Sutton edged out shopping mall heiress and former U.S. Rep. Tom Sawyer in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who is on-track for the November election against incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio). Gary Kucinich, brother of U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) came in fourth, followed by Elyria Mayor Bill Grace. Lorain Mayor Craig Foltin beat four other Republicans to secure his party's nomination.

Democrat Lewis Katz, a law professor at Case Western Reserve and political newcomer, won handily in 14th Congressional District over two challengers. He will meet incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) this fall.

Embattled Congressman (R-Ohio) waved off an ongoing ethics investigation to claim the support of loyalists in the 18th District. Republicans gave him 68 percent of the vote over Zanesville financial analyst James Harris. On the Democratic side, Dover law director beat out three others for the right to challenge Ney in November.

Court of Appeals

Rep. John Willamowski (R-Lima), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee used his political and legal experience to overcome Findlay Municipal Court Judge Vern Preston and Lima attorney Leslie Batte by wide margins for the 3rd District Court of Appeals, leaving an uncontested race for outgoing Presiding Judge Thomas Bryant's open seat.

Former House Majority Whip and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Mary Boyle easily outpaced Lakewood Municipal Judge Patrick Carroll and Cleveland attorney Loretta Coyne for the Democratic nomination to one of two contested primary slots for the 8th District Court of Appeals. Boyle will face former Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ralph Perk Jr. in November.

Melody Stewart, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid at Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall School of Law, passed Cleveland City Council member Michael Dolan for the Democratic nomination to the other seat on the 8th District Court of Appeals. Robert Moriarty of Bay Village will contest her this fall.

In one of the sleeper upsets of the primary, Wayne County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Brown claimed an advantage of 1114 votes to beat incumbent Judge Edna Boyle, appointed only last December when William Batchelder resigned. Brown will now face attorney Clair Dickinson, who is looking to win back a job on the 9th District after beating Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge John Quinn by nearly five points. Dickinson, a Summit County Council at-large member, previously served on the 9th District from 1993 to 1999.