Mary Jo Kilroy
U.S. House, OH
GOP seat up for grabs. In 2006, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy nearly unseated the highest ranking Republican woman in Congress, Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce. Pryce outspent Kilroy by almost $2 million in the 15th district, but won by a margin of only 1,062 votes. Kilroy immediately decided she would challenge Pryce in 2008, and the incumbent later decided not to seek re-election — leaving this critical seat in a presidential swing state open and up for grabs.
A true swing seat. This Columbus-area seat has been in GOP hands since 1967, and they won’t give it up without a fierce fight — especially in a presidential year, when Ohio’s 20 electoral votes are up for grabs. Republicans have coalesced behind Steve Stivers, a right-wing state senator and former lobbyist for the banking industry. Stivers has repeatedly opposed legislation to protect consumers, including efforts to curb predatory lending. He has consistently earned “0” ratings from Ohio NARAL and even worked against an amendment requiring insurance companies to cover contraception. He is a proven fundraiser backed by national Republicans who will help bankroll his campaign.
Strong, progressive leadership. Kilroy has a history of winning tough races. In 2000, she defeated a Republican to become the only Democrat on the Franklin County Commission. Four years later, Kilroy won re-election and helped Democrats take control of the commission after a 20-year drought. As commission president, she has balanced every county budget, instituted strong ethics policies, and expanded access to affordable housing and health care. Kilroy will be a strong voice for progressive values, including choice, in Congress — but she must raise $3 million to overcome her Republican opponent and win this open seat for Democrats.
More About Mary Jo Kilroy
In 2006, Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy nearly unseated GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce, the highest-ranking woman in the GOP House leadership. Pryce, who outspent Kilroy by nearly $2 million, was declared the winner in Ohio’s 15th district by 1,062 votes after a recount. Kilroy quickly decided to run again in 2008. When Pryce unexpectedly announced her retirement in August 2007, Kilroy suddenly became the frontrunner for an open seat that is widely viewed as a top Democratic takeover target.
Republicans scrambled for months to find a standard bearer for Pryce. House Minority Leader John Boehner finally convinced state Sen. Steve Stivers, a former lobbyist for the banking industry, to run. Stivers, who is anti-choice, is firmly entrenched in the state’s Republican establishment and has close ties to several of Ohio’s disgraced Republican office holders, including Gov. Bob Taft, who was convicted on charges of corruption.
Kilroy has a history of defeating long odds and better-funded opponents. In 2000, she became the lone Democrat on the Franklin County Commission after defeating a Republican who had raised nearly four times as much money as her. Four years later Kilroy won re-election, helping Democrats take control of the commission after a 20-year lockout. Her fellow commissioners chose her as president in 2007.
Kilroy’s accomplishments in Franklin County include instituting strong ethics policies and expanding access to affordable housing and health care. She’s balanced every county budget, helping the county earn “AAA” ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. During Kilroy’s tenure, Franklin County has been ranked one of the five best-managed counties in the country by Governing magazine.
The Political Situation
Ohio has long been a GOP stronghold, but major ethical problems — including a congressman convicted for his involvement in the Abramoff scandal — helped Democrats sweep Republicans out of office in 2006, taking the governorship, a U.S. Senate seat, a U.S. House seat, four additional statewide offices, and seven seats in the state House.
Like Ohio, this congressional district has been trending Democratic. In 2000, Bush won the district by a margin of 19,000 votes; by 2004, that margin was reduced to fewer than 3,000 votes. Even with Pryce in the race, her seat was seen as a top pick-up opportunity for Democrats — but her exit makes it even more promising. Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg immediately moved Ohio 15 from “leans Republican” to a “toss-up”; the Washington Post named it one of three seats most likely to change hands in 2008; and David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report called it the best opportunity for Democrats to win a Republican seat.
Stivers styles himself as a moderate, but his voting record on fiscal and social issues is anything but. One of four Republican senators who voted against bipartisan legislation to curb predatory lending practices, Stivers has consistently opposed consumer protection efforts — a reflection of his loyalty to the banking industry (he was a longtime lobbyist for one of Ohio’s largest banks). He says he is pro-choice, but has consistently voted against reproductive freedom, earning “0” ratings from Ohio NARAL. In 2004, Stivers voted to require doctors to prescribe three times the necessary dosage of RU-486, effectively tripling the cost of medical abortions. Two years later, he voted to codify Ohio’s ban on funding for abortions for poor women. Stivers even worked against an amendment requiring insurance companies to cover contraception. In a moment of sleazy candor, Stivers made an offensive remark about a group of high school girls visiting the state Senate. According to the Canton Repository, when Stivers was reminded that he had just returned from his honeymoon, he said, “I’m allowed to window shop, just not buy.”
Ohio Republicans may be down, but they are decidedly not out, and Kilroy faces a tough road ahead. The seat has been in GOP hands since 1967 and they will stop at nothing to hang onto it. Stivers, who will be amply funded by corporate and right-wing special interests, expressed no concern about Kilroy’s head start, saying “Fundraising has never been my shortcoming.” He raised over $400,000 in just seven weeks for his campaign, which is being managed by the Ohio state political director for Bush-Cheney 2004.
Democrats are unified behind Kilroy, who deftly consolidated Democratic support for her campaign early, winning backing from labor unions and prominent Democratic officials, and clearing the primary field of potential opponents. She represents almost 87 percent of the district’s voters on the Franklin County Commission and retains significant momentum after her strong 2006 campaign. But this will be a costly and pitched battle. A perennial battleground state with 20 electoral votes, Ohio is a top target for both parties in the 2008 presidential campaign. Kilroy needs to raise $3 million to take over this GOP-held seat and help Democrats keep control of the U.S. House in 2008.
The Issues
Kilroy is a well-respected public official with a history of fighting for progressive values. “I am running to bring an end to the war in Iraq, improve our economy, and expand access to health care to all Americans,” Kilroy says “We need new priorities and experienced leadership, not a continuation of Bush’s agenda.”
Improving teacher recruitment and training programs, and providing scholarships and subsidies for promising education majors, would help strengthen public schools, Kilroy argues, adding, “Research strongly supports the value of early childhood education to the social and cognitive growth of children. But that requires trained and reasonably paid preschool educators.”
To help people balance work and family, Kilroy supports the Family Medical Leave and Fair Labor Standards Acts. “Working families would benefit from quality child care and early childhood programs, and after-school education and recreational programs that keep children safe during work hours,” she says.
Workers’ rights and environmental laws should be negotiated in all trade agreements, Kilroy believes. “We need to strike a balance between freeing up capital to stimulate investment, and protecting human, labor, and environmental rights,” she says.
“Sweatshops violate human dignity and give countries such as China an unfair trade advantage.” Skyrocketing health insurance costs increase the ultimate cost of products manufactured in the U.S., Kilroy says, putting American business and workers at a disadvantage compared to countries that provide health care, such as Canada. “Finally, she says, “we need to close tax loopholes that give employers incentives to relocate overseas.”
“We need to restore restraint in federal spending without neglecting our most important priorities,” Kilroy says. “Making targeted investments in health care and education would help make the U.S. competitive in the long term.” Her budget priorities include making health care affordable for veterans, active Guard and Reserve members, and their families.
Kilroy will be a strong advocate in Congress for progressive tax policy. “I support tax incentives to encourage greater use of renewable energy and foster energy independence,” she says.
Bringing an end to the war in Iraq, along with guaranteeing that troops have the protective gear and the training they need, are Kilroy’s top defense priorities. “I opposed the war from the start” she says. “It is critical that we have a Congress and a president who will bring the troops home. The 2008 election can do both.” The nation’s most pressing foreign policy concerns are the proliferation of nuclear weapons and our dependence on foreign oil, Kilroy believes. “We must work with the U.N. to monitor and enforce the non-proliferation treaty,” she says.
“We need to vigorously enforce and strengthen civil rights laws to ensure freedom from discrimination based on gender, race, national origin, age, and sexual orientation,” Kilroy says. “That means fully funding the Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
Kilroy’s agenda for reducing crime and ensuring public safety includes putting more police officers on the street, providing more funding for training, and making sure first responders have the equipment they need to do their jobs. “We must ensure that first responders can communicate with each other, across agencies, during emergencies,” she says. Kilroy supports a ban on “cop killer” bullets and mandatory DNA testing for death row inmates.
“To contain costs and ensure adequate health care, we must make insurance more affordable for small businesses,” Kilroy says. “We can do that by removing regulatory barriers and allowing small business owners to participate in insurance pools.” Kilroy advocates extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover all children under 18.
Kilroy will fight for initiatives to reduce poverty, including efforts to enforce equal pay laws. She supports the right of employees to organize and join a union. Kilroy also favors “welfare to work” programs that allow welfare recipients to complete educational programs before their assistance is cut off, and federal subsidies to help states enforce child support rulings.
“We need to strengthen the Clean Air Act and sign on to the Kyoto Protocol” to reduce greenhouse gases, Kilroy says. She pioneered energy independence at the local level by switching the county bus fleet to biodiesel fuel and by opening an ethanol station at the county’s garage. She will work in Congress to provide incentives to encourage development of alternative and renewable fuels, “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and break our dependence on oil,” she says.
Kilroy believes that reproductive services should be covered by health insurance programs. “We should end inequities that provide coverage for Viagra but not birth control,” she says. “We should eliminate the global gag rule on health clinics. We need to make abortion safe, legal, and rare by resisting legislative efforts to chip away at the fundamental rights guaranteed by Roe.”