.....Kelly, Clark County Sheriff since 1987, has earned numerous awards--including being named "Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Ohio"--during his long and distinguished career in Springfield and Xenia's police departments and as Sheriff. Kelly graduated from Antioch and received his Masters in Criminal Justice from Xavier. He also was first in his class at the Kennedy School of Government's Leadership for the 21st Century program......
The candidacy of someone like Sheriff Gene Kelly will make many Republicans fearful.
The following is an excerpt from the Zanesville Times Recorder:
....Ken Spain, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he doesn't believe the retirements of Reps. Ralph Regula and David Hobson and the death of veteran Rep. Paul Gillmor have left the GOP vulnerable in those areas.....
"If you take a look at those districts, all of them have proven to be reliably Republican in the past," Spain said. "Any Democrat attempting to compete in these reliably Republican districts in a presidential year will find themselves in an uphill battle."
....At the end of August, the National Republican Congressional Committee had spent nearly all of the $34.6 million it has raised during the cycle, reporting only $1.6 million cash on hand and $4 million in debt, according to federal filings. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had banked more than $22 million of the $44 million it raised and was about $3 million in debt.....
No one is saying that winning these districts for Democrats will be a an easy task. However, with changes in the Ohio statehouse, the unending war promoted by Bush and Republicans, the unpopularity of the Bush administration, and improved voting procedures in the state (thanks to Jennifer Brunner), there is a greater possibility of gaining these seats for Democrats.