Key election dates in Ohio
Jan. 4: Deadline for certifying candidate petitions for Congress and president
Jan. 31: Early voting begins
Feb. 6: Voter registration deadline to vote in the March 6 election
March 6: Super Tuesday, Ohio and 10 other state hold presidential primaries and caucuses. In Ohio, congressional, Senate, state legislature and county races are also on the ballot as well as local issues and levies.
All major presidential candidates file to run in Ohio primary
If the fight for the Republican nomination lasts until March 6, it’s likely all major Republican candidates will be on the ballot. Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum all filed to run on Friday. President Barack Obama and Randall Terry filed to run as Democrats. The candidates’ petitions must be certified by Jan. 4.
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WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Austria of Beavercreek announced Friday that he will not seek re-election, allowing the party to avoid what could have been a contentious primary with Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville.
“Today I’m announcing I am not seeking another term to Congress, at least for this term,” said Austria, who had earlier this month filed to run against Turner.
Austria said he wanted to avoid a “multimillion-dollar primary” fight that would have “pitted friends against friends.’’
Turner will face two other opponents in the Republican primary on March 6, which also will include a six-person Democratic primary contest for the newly redrawn 10th district covering all of Montgomery and Greene counties and the northern half of Fayette County.
The majority of the population of the new 10th District is in Turner’s current 3rd District which covers most of Montgomery County.
“I’d like to be one of the first to thank Steve for his service to Ohio and our country,” Turner said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “I know he is an honorable man and throughout his time in office he has done what he thought was right for southwest Ohio and his constituents.”
Although Austria was easily re-elected last year, he became a victim of an intraparty battle over the new congressional districts. Because of the new map created by the Republican legislature, Austria saw his current 7th District divided into three districts and his residence became part of the new 10th District.
Austria had on Dec. 7 filed to run in the redrawn 10th but candidates had to re-file by Friday after the Ohio Legislature on Dec. 16 approved a new map, which included even less of Austria’s current district in the new 10th.
“I am not going to run for Congress next term as a result of the redistricting map,’’ said Austria, who was elected in 2008 after the retirement of longtime U.S. Rep. David Hobson, a Springfield Republican.
“He made the best choice – a graceful exit with integrity and honor,’’ Hobson said. “It would have been a horrific undertaking. Even if he would have won one of those districts, it would have caused lots of stress ... with their personal and political relationships.’’
GOP, Tea Party leaders say Austria made the best choice
Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Greg Gantt and Dayton Tea Party President Rob Scott both complimented Austria for doing what was best for the Republican Party by avoiding a costly battle.
“We’ve seen when you have a very contested, competitive race at this level the winner, having gone through that, almost always emerges not as viable as they were,” Gantt said. “Whenever we have internal struggles like this it is time, effort, energy and money not used toward the end goal.”
Scott said the priority for 2012 is defeating Democrats, and the Republican party doesn’t need “a sideshow in a congressional fight.”
“Whoever would have come out of that battle between Mike Turner and Steve Austria would have been limping,” Scott said. “You are not going to have the bloody fight, the bad ads, the attacking back and forth by Republicans. It moves the district from being a competitive race to a strong Republican stronghold.”
Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Owens said he doesn’t know if Austria’s withdrawal hurts or helps Democrats.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of difference between him and Turner anyway,” said Owens. “They’re both conservative Republicans who follow (House Speaker) John Boehner’s edicts all the way even to the point where they tried to raise taxes on the middle class (this month).”
On Friday Turner filed to run in the 10th District. The other Republican candidates who filed are:
• Edward Breen of Kettering
• John Anderson of Enon
Democratic candidates who filed by Friday’s deadline include:
• Sharen Neuhardt of Beavercreek, who ran unsuccessfully against Austria in 2008
• David Esrati of Dayton, who ran for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District in 2010
• Olivia Freeman of Fairborn, who ran for the Democratic nomination
• Tom F. McMasters of Huber Heights
• Ryan Steele of Beavercreek
• L. Mack VanAllen of Centerville
Independent David Harlow also filed. None of the candidates will be official until the county board of elections certifies their petitions on Tuesday.
Austria said he considered several options: running against Turner in the 10th or moving to the 15th or 8th districts and running against U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, or House Speaker Boehner, R-West Chester Twp. Austria said he made his decision Thursday night after consulting with his family.
Austria said he will serve out the year remaining in his second term, but would not say what his future plans are but he did not rule out a future run for Congress.
Austria held a seat on the influential House appropriations committee and developed a reputation as a defender of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Springfield Air National Guard Base. Besides combining two local congressional seats into one, the new redistricting puts Wright-Patterson in a single congressional district, the new 10th, rather than the current three districts.
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