OHIO

The Senate: No Race...


The House:...

• Ohio's 1st congressional district: Republican Steve Chabot won by 52% to 48% in 2006, compared to 60% to 40% in 2004. His district barely went to George W. Bush with 50% to 49% for John Kerry in 2004 and includes the western portion of the Cincinnati area. State House Democratic Whip Steve Driehaus is the Democratic nominee. Driehaus' FEC report at the end of the second quarter of 2007 showed contributions from political committees linked to a large number of national leaders of the Democratic Party.^{[citation needed]}

• Ohio's 2nd congressional district: Republican Jean Schmidt barely held on by a 51% to 49% margin against Democratic physician Victoria Wulsin. Her district is a heavily Republican one, covering the eastern portions of Greater Cincinnati, but she has never had an easy primary or general election. This year, she defeated state Representative Tom Brinkman in the Republican primary by 57% to 40%. Wulsin is running again in 2008. Bush won 64% here in 2004.

• Ohio's 7th congressional district: Republican Dave Hobson will retire at the age of 71^[158]. Hobson's district stretches from Springfield in the Dayton area eastward to several outer southern areas of Columbus. Bush won 57% here. The Democratic nominee is business attorney Sharen Neuhardt. State Senator Steve Austria is the Republican nominee and has Hobson's support^[159][160].

• Ohio's 12th congressional district: Republican Pat Tiberi faced an expensive race in 2006 against one of this district’s former representatives, Democrat Bob Shamansky, who briefly served in the early 1980s, but survived with 58% of the vote. Tiberi will face Democratic nominee David Robinson in 2008. George W. Bush barely won this district with 51% to 49% for John Kerry in 2004.

• Ohio's 14th congressional district: Republican Steve LaTourette, whose district is centered around the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, won 58% of the vote in 2006 against a weak opponent.^{[citation needed]} He represents a swing district where no party has a clear advantage over the other. Bush won here with 52% to 47% for John Kerry. Appeals Court Judge William O'Neill won the Democratic nomination.

• Ohio's 15th congressional district: Republican Deborah Pryce survived the toughest race of her career against Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy by 1,062 votes. Pryce is not running for reelection in 2008. Kilroy is again the Democratic nominee. Republican state Senator and Iraq War veteran Steve Stivers is the Republican nominee, winning his party's primary with 65%. George W. Bush barely won here in 2004 with 50.3% to 49.7% for John Kerry.

• Ohio's 16th congressional district: Republican Congressman Ralph Regula, whose district includes the Canton area, will retire after 36 years in Congress cleveland.com. State Senator Kirk Schuring won a close Republican primary and faces Democratic state Senator/Iraq War Veteran John Boccieri in the general election^[161]. This district went for Bush with 53% to 46% for Kerry in 2004.

• Ohio's 18th congressional district: Democrat Zack Space may be vulnerable in 2008 as his district, located in southeastern Ohio, went to George W. Bush with 57% to 43% for John Kerry in 2004, although Space won his first term in 2006 with 62% of the vote. Republicans were forced to select a new candidate — state Senator Joy Padgett — after Rep. Bob Ney dropped out of the race following his conviction in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. It turned out that Padgett had financial controversies of her own, and local voters were in no mood to tolerate more scandal. The Republican nominee is former state Agriculture Director Fred Dailey, who won a four-candidate primary with 39%.

Retirements:...
Ohio's 7th congressional district: Dave Hobson(R)
Ohio's 15th congressional district: Deborah Pryce(R)
Ohio's 16th congressional district: Ralph Regula(R)