Democrats said they could win in Ohio's 5th Congressional District. But Weirauch still lost.
Toledo Blade: Pointing to [Sherrod] Brown's victory last year over U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine (R., Ohio) in the traditionally Republican district, Mrs. Weirauch said it can happen again. "Can this district be won by a Democrat? He's living proof that a Democrat can get elected in this district, and, of course our governor as well," she said to a group of about 25 supporters gathered at the Norwalk law office of State Rep. Matthew Barrett (D., Amherst). (Toledo Blade, 12/10/07)
The Plain Dealer: Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, got 55 percent of the district's vote in 2006. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown won by a narrower margin. (The Plain Dealer, 12/09/07)
Top Democrats, including Barack Obama, John Edwards, Nancy Pelosi and all the power of her House Majority, joined blog activists to generate national support for Robin Weirauch. Weirauch still lost.
Toledo Blade: Yesterday, the Barack Obama campaign organization issued a letter urging his supporters to support Mrs. Weirauch with money and phone calls. The e-mail, obtained by The Blade, and addressed, "Dear Friend," referred to the 5th District as "a traditionally Republican stronghold that is within reach for Democrats." The Daily Kos, a leading liberal Internet blog, also is featuring appeals to its readers to support Mrs. Weirauch. (Toledo Blade, 12/7/07)
Toledo Blade: She raised $45,563, according to preprimary filings, and has since raised more than $40,000 from national labor organizations alone. Other national donations - of which there were many - included $2,000 contributions from the campaigns of Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. speaker of the House, and U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D., Ill.). (Toledo Blade, 12/1/07)
Gov. Ted Strickland spent enormous political capital on behalf of Robin Weirauch and said his own internal pollster showed the race was "winnable." Weirauch still lost.
Congressional Quarterly: Strickland, who carried the 5th District in his landslide 2006 victory, appeared with Weirauch Dec. 1 for multiple campaign stops and appears in a television ad for her this week. Strickland, who previous served in the House (1993-95, 1997-2007), noted during a campaign stop that he was elected to Congress after losing three previous times - and that Weirauch would win on her third try. Strickland also said he and Weirauch share the same pollster and that "what we know is that this is a very winnable race." (Congressional Quarterly, 12/7/07)
Democrats played their tired, old Taft and Noe cards. Weirauch still lost.
Politico: The late decision to spend more than $148,000 in a solidly Republican district indicates that the cash-flush committee believes it has at least an outside shot at winning the conservative northwestern Ohio seat. The ad tried to connect GOP state Rep. Bob Latta, the Republican nominee, to ethically tarnished former Gov. Bob Taft and jailed GOP fundraiser Tom Noe. (Politico.com, 12/3/07)
Democrats billed the race as a "bellwether" for 2008. Weirauch still lost.
The Plain Dealer Blog: "I think it's a bellwether for Ohio and a bellwether for the country," agrees the dean of Ohio's Democratic congressional delegation, Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, who backs Weirauch. She calls the race a "tossup" and predicts the side that gets the most supporters to the polls in a low-turnout special election will win. (Openers Blog, The Plain Dealer, 12/08/07)
Special elections are notoriously unpredictable, and partisan advantages are often neutralized by limited voter interest and low turnout. Weirauch still lost.
WTOL: It comes down to this: Folks are just not used to voting in December. Some might forget, and others might use nasty weather as an excuse to stay home from the polls. ... "Certainly, there are a number of reasons we could point out low voter turnout. I'm not sure anyone really knows. Certainly political people are asking that question a lot on this. Quite honestly, never had an election quite like this," said Terry Burton, with the Wood County Board of Elections. (WTOL, 12/3/7)
Congressional Quarterly: Republicans are not taking this normally rock-ribbed Republican district for granted because they continue to face a difficult political environment 13 months after Democrats registered big wins in the November 2006 election - including the election of Ohio Democrats Ted Strickland and Sherrod Brown as governor and senator, respectively. And the timing of the special election, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, guarantees a low turnout and an outcome difficult to gauge. (Congressional Quarterly, 12/7/07)
