CHRISTINA HAGAN - THE ANTI-GOP-ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE
A DESPERATE POLITICAL PLAY!
(Source: Hagan Facebook page)
November 29, 2017 has to be a trying date for the campaign of Christina Hagan (R, Marlboro Township).
And the event will be held at the posh Brookside Country Club which borders a community which is one Stark County's haven for the wealthy; namely, Hill and Dales.
Gonzalez (a former Ohio State Buckeye football star and Indianapolis Colts professional player) upset Hagan's political aspirations apple cart recently in announcing that he is seeking the Republican nomination on May 8, 2018 to succeed current congressman Jim Renacci who is abandoning the seat to seek the Republican nomination for governor.
It is obvious that Gonzalez has been recruited by Washington-based organized Republicans to challenge Hagan for the nomination.
Apparently, the Washington GOP movers and shakers do not put much stock in an "unsourced" poll being bandied about by Hagan in the November 24th edition of The Hartville News, to wit:
Christina currently leads in polls to replace current Congressman James Renacci ...
Has Christina adopted the ways of Donald J. Trump in inventing stuff out of whole cloth?
While there is a Republican alternative to Gonzalez and Hagan (Kit Seryak of Rocky River); with the with the departure of Republican state Representative Tom Patton of Strongsville from the congressional district race (citing personal/family reasons), make no mistake about it: it is Gonzalez versus Hagan to succeed Renacci.
The Report does not believe that personal/family factors is the cause for his withdrawing from the race.
Unlike Hagan, Patton appears to be a political realist who can read "the handwriting on the wall."
The Stark County Political Report's money is on Gonzalez.
First of all, he lives in the district and Hagan does not.
Moreover, he has out fundraised her so far by about a $6 to $1 margin despite Hagan having a huge jump start in entering the race.
Most tellingly, Gonzalez appears to be much more politically palatable to the type of Republican who makes up the 16th congressional Republican voter base.
Hagan is in the assessment of the SCPR, an extreme right-wing religion-based (as a part of her political profile) candidate who connects only with fringe Republicans.
Exactly the kind of crowd that Gorka appeals to.
The Report's perception of Sebastian Gorka based on having seen him on political talk shows is that he is likely even more out there politically than Hagan (that's hard to believe, no?), to wit; (from a Wikipedia article)
During his time in the Trump administration, Gorka gave a series of combative interviews with the press in which he defended the administration's positions on national security and foreign policy.
Various national security scholars in academic and policymaking circles have characterized Gorka as fringe. Some critics have challenged his academic credentials, his views on Islam and radicalization—as well as his motives for identifying with the Order of Vitéz or supporting the EU-banned Hungarian Guard.
Hagan and Gorka: a political match made in Heaven?
In addition to her Gorka association, Hagan is all-in with President Donald J. Trump and his family.
The SCPR has taken the step that with Gonzalez in the race, Hagan is finished as a viable candidate for the GOP nomination.
Moreover, The Report thinks that should he become the Republican nominee, Gonzalez might want to think twice maybe three times before associating too closely to the president.
Even though the 16th has been gerrymandered (with Christina's help in her work as a Republican representative [the 50th Ohio House District]) to make it difficult for any Democrat to seriously challenge a Republican candidate, the president in working hard to make a Democratic challenge.
The current field of Democratic candidates is not going to get the job done.
The filing deadline is February 7, 2018.
Look for Washington-based organized Democrats to watch their internal polling numbers closely.
Should it appear that a well-financed and known Democrat (e.g. current Democrat governor candidate Betty Sutton) can be competitive, the 16th could be on the front lines in the battle to determine whether Republicans or Democrats control Congress on January 1, 2019.
With the entrance of Gonzalez into the race, it is clear that that organized Republican decision makers worry about the likes of a Christina Hagan as the party's standard bearer in November, 2018.
Look for Hagan to drop out (like Patton has) and run for two more years as state representative for the 50th Ohio House District.
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