Ney to leave congress, southern Ohio says "WTF?"

While the state continues to flounder in and out of helplessness, we may very well lose the one thing expected to be unaffected by the coming wave of reform and challenger victories.

Rep. Bob Ney, long time representative of Ohio's 18th district, has decided not to seek reelection, a surprising decision considering his strong support in the area. In my opinion, Ney would have had to club baby seal on the Capitol steps to not get reelected.

It was Ney's endless battle for the coal and steel industries that carried him through six terms. It was that fight that earned the respect which won him over 60 percent of the vote for all but two of his races.

This leaves the voice of southeastern Ohio in quite a pickle. Ney's handpicked replacement, Jim Petro's failed Joy Padgett, leaves a lot to be desired. Many Athenians will remember her filthy campaign against Terry Anderson in 2004's state senate race. In fact she said just about everything short of accusing Anderson of eating babies. It was a disgrace.

That being said, I'm not so sure about any candidate from the other side of the aisle. The democratic challenger, Zack Space, is the law director for the City of Dover. While I don't have nearly enough information to make a clear assessment, one thing does stick out. He's from Dover. Don't be fooled, this isn't about high school rivalries anymore. This is about socioeconomic status. Dover is without a doubt one of the wealthiest, if not THE wealthiest, area in the district. The overwhelming majority of this district is well below that standard and it worries me as to Space's ability to empathize with his district, the state's largest in terms of geographical size.

However, given the alternative, I must say I'm leaning toward the Tuscawaras county democrat. Padgett lost my vote in her previous campaigns. However, and this will be interesting to my fellow J-School kids, she's probably not nearly as bad as some of Space's PR staffers claim her to be.

An excerpt, if you will....

"In a desperate move to stop surging congressional challenger Zack Space, Bob Ney dropped out of and pushed into the congressional race his handpicked candidate, who is also one of Bob Taft’s favorites..."
"We need new leaders and fresh faces like Zack Space to represent this district. The choice will be crystal clear for voters. Joy Padgett: a leading player in the culture of corruption in Ohio; Or, Zack Space: the man who signed an ethics pledge to refuse trips, meals and gifts from lobbyists."

I want you to remember this you PR majors...THIS is what you'll be doing one day.

Professor Hodges was right...

"Sure, public relations is journalism....crossed with prostitution."

In the end Ohio will be losing a strong voice in congress and be forced to replace it with a rookie representative who will have to climb the totem pole all over again. That's not good news no matter what side of the aisle you sit on.

Rep. Bob Ney Will Not Seek Reelection (Washington Post)
Ney's Handpicked Replacement "Flattered" To Be Chosen By Corrupt Congressman (PR Scum)