Rather astonishing isn't it. Only 21% of American voters identify with Republicans!The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) wondered what a search of database numbers available from the Stark County Board of Elections would say about the Stark County breakdown.
A mirror image; that's what.
No wonder Stark has no political competition countywide: that is, there are "zippo" non-judicial Republican elected officials in Stark County.
Who's to blame:
The SCPR says current county GOP chair Jeff Matthews and his predecessor Curt Braden.
Undoubtedly being the "excuse makers" both are - which is odd for "pull yourself up by the bootstrap" as a matter of philosophical bent, Republicans generally are - Matthews and Braden would say they are caught up in a passing political fad of national dimensions.
But are they?
The election that portends the future political make up of Stark County is the Schuring/Boccieri race for the 16th congressional district. Timmy Timken favorite, long term Stark County politician, Republican Kirk Schuring lost to, long term Mahoning County politician Democrat, John Boccieri 57% to 42%.
Schuring held the 21% Republican identified voter. But he split the nonpartisan vote (sometimes vote Republican; sometimes vote Democrat), with Democrat John Boccieri). The independent vote in Stark used to tilt Republican, but now it is heading the other direction.
The Report believes the Schuring/Boccieri race presages the future of Stark County politics, in terms of voter identification, will be more in line with Summit and Cuyahoga counties.
Such will surely be the case unless we see more invigorated and "new ideas" leadership out of Fulton Road.
Isn't a major housecleaning of the Stark GOP leadership needed, if Stark County is to have a competitive political future?
You chart indicates a greater number of the voting public are unhappy with the R and D's.
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