So says Politico
Ohio Republican George Voinovich is expected to announce Monday that he won’t seek re-election to the Senate in 2010.
Cue the music
This is retirement number four for Big Bad John and Co. just five days into the 11th Congress. In addition to that everyone knows that Kay Bailey Hutchison will make a run for governor and may resign to focus on that. Democrats have legitimate chances to pick up all of them.
Republicans likely to take a shot at the seat include Rob Portman and John Kasich. Democrats have a large field of potential candidates including Rep. Tim Ryan and Rep. Betty Sutton but the CW in Ohio says that Lt. Governor Lee Fisher will run and clear the field with Gov. Ted Strickland’s backing.
The Republicans so far are dropping like flies. Big Bad John Deathwatch Part 1?
Also at this point in the 2008 cycle no Republican had announced their retirement. Wayne Allard announced his retirement on January 15th, 2007. The next retirement wasn’t until August 31. In 2006 only Bill Frist retired for the Republicans. If I remember correctly Democrats won quite a few seats in those elections, imagine what 2010 will look like.
Gregg? Grassley? Specter? Who’s next?
Also, who do we want? Ryan or Fisher? I like Ryan A LOT, but no next to nothing about Fisher. Any locals got the lowdown on the differences/similarities between these two?
FL, MO, OH. All swingy, all winnable.
means that he may also vote to cut off obstructionist Repub filibusters on some major issues. Voinovich has been one of the more reasonable Repubs, and retirement hopefully means that he can vote his conscience.
The more dismal it appears for Republicans in the Senate, the more unlikely it will be that a top challenger (i.e. Huckabee or Hoeven) emerges to take either of them on. Who wants to join a caucus with only 38 or 39 members?
Strickland beat the three time winning statewide candidate, among a long and solid electoral record of Ken Blackwell in 2006. Strickland has played a role in rebuilding the party ever since, by picking up four US House seats, and the state house in two election cycles, IIRC.
Fisher’s poor electoral record bothers me, Ryan’s pro-life stance doesn’t bother me. In the senate it will be relevant in very few votes and it will allow suburban and rural voters that are socially conservative but economically liberal to fall into the Democratic column solidly. If we can turn a win in Ohio in 2010 into a gimmie like New Hampshire in 2008, we can give Obama a large majority in the senate to work with and watch Republicans continue to look for answers as they butcher themselves over whether their party needs to return to core values or move toward the center.