As this article as being written John Boccieri leads Kirk Schuring in the race to succeed Ralph Regula in the 16th Congressional District 54% to 46% with 86% of the total vote counted.
Months ago the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) predicted a Boccieri win at between 52% to 48% and 55% to 48%.
It really didn't take much tea leaf reading to see the result that far out.
With Bush's popularity fading fast and Schuring being linked in voters' minds as being joined with Bush policies, it was relatively easy to see that 16th District voters would be looking for a Democrat to fill the seat; notwithstanding the huge expanse of time the seat has been held by Republicans Regula and Frank T. Bow.
For Schuring to have any chance at all he would have had to separate himself from standard Republican prescriptions for what ails America and, more specifically, Ashland, Medina, Stark and Wayne counties.
It is not within the make up of Schuring to be anything but a largely loyal Republican. He did take exception to Republicans on one occasion in the Ohio Senate. And he was severely punished. So predictably he wouldn't be willing to go there again. In the end his party loyalty cost him.
Another problem for Schuring was his affinity to make grandiose pronouncement (e.g. a constitutional amendment to fix Ohio's funding of public education) and then not be able to deliver.
Question: Had Schuring bucked the Republican Party more and produced on his school funding plan, would we be saying Congressman Kirk Schuring today?
No I don't think so. The fact of the matter is 2008 was certain to be a democratic year in Ohio and the 16th district anyway. The fact that Barrack Obama generated so much excitment only further exacerbated Schuring's problems. I think the Democrats could have ran Daffy Duck in the district and won because things are so bad right now in Stark, Wayne, Medina, and Ashland counties.
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