Charlie Cook provides some insight about Republican chances in 2008. Govexec.com:
....Then there are eight or so open-seat races that the GOP is in real danger of losing: those in Rick Renzi's 1st District in Arizona, Jerry Weller's 11th District in Illinois, Jim Ramstad's 3rd District in Minnesota, Jim Saxton's 3rd District and Michael Ferguson's 7th District in New Jersey, Heather Wilson's 1st District in New Mexico, and Deborah Pryce's 15th and Ralph Regula's 16th districts in Ohio. All of these contests are now in the toss-up category.....
Did you notice that two seats "that the GOP is in real danger of losing" are in Ohio----- Regula's 16th district and Pryce's 15th?????????
With the GOP having difficulty recruiting first tier candidates and an almost empty campaign war chest, you can see why they got so nervous about possibly losing the seat vacated by the death of Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor in Ohio's 5th district. The Republicans had to pour big money into a campaign that should have been a completely safe seat.
Ohio's 15th district is turning blue. Deborah Pryce's decision not to run again may have been slightly influenced by family issues. However, her final decision not to seek re-election was based on polls that showed the Democrats and Progressives gaining power in central Ohio. Things are changing in Ohio.