Democratic Write-in Wilson Wins 3-Way Race
By Alan Johnson and James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
May 3–In a rare and historic victory, Democratic state Sen. Charles Wilson yesterday won his uphill battle as a write-in candidate in the 6 th Congressional District.
In capturing 63 percent of the vote in a three-way race, Wilson vindicated himself after a nearly fatal mistake when he failed to secure the required 50 valid signatures to get on the primary ballot.
Wilson, of St. Clairsville, will face state Rep. Charles R. Blasdel, of East Liverpool, an easy winner of yesterday’s Republican primary, in what promises to be an extremely contentious and expensive general election campaign fight.
Wilson’s victory is unusual because just four write-in candidates have won seats in Congress in modern times, most recently Rep. Linda Smith in Washington in 1994.
Speaking from his victory party at the Belmont Eagles Club in Bridgeport, Wilson said he was thrilled at the large turnout.
“I was delighted to see that we had this kind of motivation and moved the base of the Democratic Party so well,” he said.
Wilson said he thinks his work in the primary will help prepare him for the general election in November.
“If more than 21,000 people came out today and wrote me in, having made that effort, they’re going to come out and vote for me in the fall.”
Wilson, the owner of funeral homes and a furniture store, spent a great deal of his own money, including a $257,000 loan, to fund a campaign that included TV commercials, direct mailings and knocking on Democratic doors throughout the sprawling district.
The 6 th District, which includes all or part of 12 counties along the Ohio River, was targeted by both parties which spent a combined $1 million in the primary.
Wilson beat two other Democrats, Bob Carr of Wellsville and John S. Luchansky of Poland.
The 6 th District seat was up for grabs when Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lisbon, decided to run for governor.
Blasdel, whose well-funded campaign included a fundraiser headlined by Vice President Dick Cheney, beat three GOP rivals: Danny Harmon, of Quaker City; Tom Ginter, of East Liverpool; and Richard D. Stobbs, of Dillonville.
In a central Ohio race, Bob Shamansky, 78, a lawyer, realestate investor and the last Democrat to hold the 12 th Congressional District seat more than 20 years go, appeared to be the winner in a four-way 12 th Congressional District primary.
Shamansky will face incumbent Rep. Pat Tiberi, of Genoa Township, who was unopposed in the Republican primary. Tiberi, who succeeded Rep. John R. Kasich, of Westerville, is seeking a fourth term in Washington, after serving eight years in the Ohio House.
Despite holding the seat from 1981-82, Shamansky faces long odds: Republicans have held the 12 th District seat for all but those two years in the past seven decades.
The 12 th Congressional District spans northern Franklin County, western Licking County and all of Delaware County.
The other Democrats in the field were Edward S. Brown, 69, of Columbus; Michael Reilly, 55, of Powell; and Patricia J. Shaffer, 46, of Dublin.
In the 18 th congressional district, which covers all or part of 16 counties in southern and eastern Ohio, Dover law director Zack Space won the Democratic contest to challenge Rep. Bob Ney, R-Heath.
Space emerged on top of a four-way primary against Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer, Ohio Board of Education Vice President Jennifer Stewart and Columbus retiree Ralph Applegate.
Sulzer and Space aired television commercials attacking Ney’s ethics, although they largely avoided criticizing each other. Ney is under scrutiny for his relationship with Jack Abramoff, a former lobbyist who is accused of corrupting lawmakers with gifts and meals at his Washington restaurant.
Stewart ran a lower-key race, while Applegate did not campaign.
Although the district leans Republican and Ney defeated his last Democratic challenger by a 2-to-1 margin, Space said Ney is vulnerable because of his ties to Abramoff.
“Our message is the message about the need for change and a message of bringing honesty and integrity to Washington,” Space said. “It’s a message we’ll be spreading for the next six months.”
In the Republican primary, Ney easily defeated James Brodbelt Harris, a political novice who accused Ney of betraying Republican principles by showering his district with federal spending.
ajohnson@dispatch.com
jnash@dispatch.
com
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