SCHURING'S FALL FROM GRACE?

Well, it depends on what you mean in "fall from grace."

As the SCPR sees Kirk Schuring's political future, he is not in the slightest jeopardy in retaining his seat in 2014.

Statewide, the Democrats are scrambling to find one seat "net" gain in the 2014 Ohio House races to achieve a very modest political goal.

The goal?

To take away the Republican's supermajority status in the House.

And you can be sure that given the anemic Stark County Democratic Party in terms of making a meaningful challenge to either Schuring (the 48th) or Christina Hagan in the 50th, the gain will not be at the expense of either of them.

To be sure, it was a real setback in terms of "aspirations" Schuring might have had for his political career when he lost in 2008 to Democrat John Boccieri for the right to succeed retiring 16th Congressional District Congressman Ralph Regula, when the 16th still included all of Stark County.

But that still is not what The Report is referring to in the expression "fall from grace."

Actually, it is his loss of face among Republicans constituting the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly.

Schuring ranks dead last among the three according to his latest campaign finance report as a political fund raiser. Hence the kick in of another expression:  "last man on the totem pole." (figuratively speaking)

As pointed out in yesterday's blog, with his being named chairman of the Ohio Senate finance committee, the top billing goes to state Senator W. Scott Oelslager (Ohio's 29th Senate District).

The surprise is that "elected for the first time" in 2012 - Christina Hagan - of the 50th came in second; not Schuring as one would expect.

Here are the numbers.

Number 1 - Oelslager:

Number 2 - Hagan:

Number 3 - Schuring:

Schuring only bests Democrat Stephen Slesnick (the 49th):

And, of course, Slesnick is a member of the 39 member Democratic House Caucus which has absolutely - no - political clout and therefore why would most PACs and lobbyists waste their money on him.

It is interesting to look at the contribution layout for all of them.

(Note:  all extracted data obtained from Ohio secretary of state website)

First, Christina Hagan:

Next Schuring:

And finally, Slesnick:

Indeed, the July, 2013 campaign finance reports for the period January 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013 clearly show that J. Kirk Schuring has had a dramatic fall in political status, prestige and respect from his heyday in 2008 when he was raising tens of thousands of dollars upon tens of thousands of dollars in his quest to be a United States congressman.

Who would have thought in 2008 that by 2013 he would be rank third among three Republicans making up the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly?