SCPR "GENERAL ELECTION" SERIES (VOL 2): HARBAUGH WOWS 'EM IN TOWN HALL MEETING?

UPDATED:  THURSDAY  MARCH 22, 2018, 12:24 p.m.

LINK to SCPR Harbaugh Town Hall broken down by "short' (mostly in the 2, 3 and 4 minute ranges videos by issue)

SCPR INTERVIEW OF CANDIDATE HARBAUGH

Harbaugh wows them?

Indeed, so The Stark County Political Report thinks!  And he did it by repeating often his campaign theme of "Country over Party."

The SCPR senses that increasingly voter perceived politician blind loyalty to a political party is going to be costly come election time.

The Report sees Harbaugh's Republican opponent Bob Gibbs as a quintessential party loyalist.

There was at least one question Thursday night which probed as to whether or not, if elected, Harbaugh could, over the longer term, sustain his "Country over Party" promise.

The Town Hall meeting  was a packed house at the Canton Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post located at 1935 Avalon Avenue NE numbering perhaps as many as 100, more or less.

Harbaugh is the certain to be the Democratic Party nominee come November in the Dems quest to unseat certain to be nominated incumbent Republican Bob Gibbs in Ohio's 7th Congressional District which includes most of Stark County.

Stark County is the most populous part of the district.

The Avon, Ohio resident announced he was challenging Gibbs on June 2, 2017 and it appears that it has been "full steam ahead" ever since.

In the first blog in this series, the SCPR described Harbaugh as being a "Dark Horse" candidate.

Recently, The Report had a brief discussion with Stark County commissioner Janet Creighton (a Republican who serves as a campaign official in the Republican Mike DeWine for governor campaign) to the effect that Harbaugh might be a local version of Connor Lamb of Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District and perhaps Bob Gibbs ought to be looking over his shoulder.

Predictably, Creighton disagreed.

In a little over 7 months we shall see who has the better gauge on Gibbs' vulnerability.

After  last night and seeing the interest that those in attendance had in dialoguing with him,  perhaps, Harbaugh deserves higher billing than someone to watch.

Not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing, but there were very few Stark County elected official Democrats in attendance.  Canton treasurer and for Stark County auditor Kim Perez introduced Harbaugh to the crowd.  Canton Ward 5 councilman Robert Fisher was present.  In a subsequent blog  The Report will share a video of Fisher endorsing the Harbaugh candidacy.

Among the missing:  Stark County Democratic Party chairman Phil Giavasis and his brother and Stark County clerk of courts Louis Giavasis, who the SCPR sees as being the chief Stark County Democratic Party political operatives who, one would think, ought to have been at last night's event as an indication that Stark's "organized" Democrats are "all-in" for Harbaugh.  For if they are not, it is hard to see how the Democratic congressional aspirant can achieve a Connor Lamb-esque win.

On the other hand, for them to have been present might be viewed by some as them being types of politicians who in their "heart of hearts" (of course, they would never admit so publicly) rank Party interests over Country, State and local community interests because their personal political goals are inextricably tied to the "organized" Stark County Democratic Party.

Harbaugh seemed at ease and confident as he mixed with the Town Hall attendees.

Gibbs is from Holmes county and has been in Congress since 2013.

The Stark County Political Report videotaped the entire Town Hall which is posted at the end of this blog in the appendix section.

Beginning later today, The Report will be excising each question and answer from the complete video posted below into individual video segments so that Stark Countians and other 7th District registered voters  who expect to vote in the general election can get a good grasp on Harbaugh responses to many issues raised by the mostly "ordinary folks" crowd in attendance last night.

Over the next several days, The Report will be editing video clips of Q&As between Harbaugh and those assembled at Canton's VFW hall.

The first clip is the SCPR's post-event interview in which he doggedly stays on message:  COUNTRY OVER PARTY.



The Report did a number of attendee interviews and will present some of them in future updates to this blog.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Congressman Gibbs will duplicate Harbaugh's foray into Stark County so that the SCPR can videotape his interaction with Stark Countians for all to see and evaluate head-to-head in comparing the two so as to be equipmed to make an informed decision as they decide to vote for.

For those readers who want an idea of what to expect, go to the appendix and click on the video and scan through the complete video.

Of course, some readers will want to watch the entire 1 hour and 27 minutes.

APPENDIX:

The Complete Video of Ken Harbaugh Canton, Ohio Town Hall Meeting of March 15, 2018.