Ohio Republicans plan to delay 2012 primaries for congress, president
Published: Thursday, October 20, 2011, 6:00 AM Updated: Thursday, October 20, 2011, 6:17 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Senate Republicans are expected to pass legislation today delaying next March's federal primaries as they try to buy time to work out of a congressional redistricting quagmire.But it isn't clear whether they also will delay state and local primaries, meaning Ohio could end up with two sets of primaries in 2012.
"Something is going to happen tomorrow," John McClelland, spokesman for Senate President Tom Niehaus, a New Richmond Republican, said Wednesday. "It's hard to say what right now because there are a lot of moving pieces. It's something we are going to be working on through the evening."
Mike Dittoe, spokesman for House Speaker William Batchelder, said the two-primary idea is "one option on the table right now."
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/10/republicans_planning_to_push_b.html
Ohio court ruling on GOP-drawn lawmaker maps sets stage for 2012 SNAFU
John Michael Spinelli
Columbus Government Examiner
October 19, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CGE) - The repercussions from the Ohio Supreme Court's unanimous ruling last Friday, requiring Buckeye Secretary of State Jon Husted to accept a ballot initiative to overturn the gerrymandered Republican plan to draw Federal Congressional districts, sets the stage for a SNAFU of historic proportions, given the presidential race next year that is already proving to be an expensive battle royal.
In the wake of the 7-0 ruling by a court with only one Democrat on it, candidates for Congress, be they incumbents or challengers, will be forced to wait and see when to file, and if the districts they planned to file for will even exist.
It now appears, the Cincinnati Enquirer said, that congressional candidates will file petitions by the Dec. 7 deadline for districts that may no longer exist by the planned March 6 primary. Alternatively, candidates may be forced to run in a statewide primary election for Ohio's now-16 U.S. House seats (down from 18 due to Census figures), where the top 16 Republicans face the top 16 finishing Democrats in the November 2012 election.
No comments:
Post a Comment