Since the Rep. Deborah Pryce’s August retirement announcement, Republicans seem to be having a wee bit of trouble coming up with a GOP candidate to take on Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, and Kilroy’s increasingly substantial campaign coffer, next year.
But the swing central Ohio district, in which Pryce, R-Upper Arlington, barely beat Kilroy in 2006, is one Republicans will “never give up on,” says Tom Cole, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Campaign. Cole, a House member from Oklahoma, spoke to reporters today in a conference call where he gave his views on how the GOP was doing in the run up to the 2008 House elections.
Still, Cole acknowledged that unlike other retirement decisions by House Republicans that were anticipated ahead of time, GOP campaign architects were “caught a little bit by surprise” when Pryce announced she too was stepping aside. The search for a credible candidate is a “work in progress,” Cole said.....
According to Dave at Wide Open, Republicans have until January 4th to file for the primary. With just a little over 2 months to go, Republicans must be making lots of phone calls looking for a candidate.