Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur

Some Lorain County voters will have the opportunity to vote for Marcy Kaptur or Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, also known as “Joe the Plumber,” who are facing off in the 9th Ohio congressional district race on November 6th, 2012 general election day.

The new 9th District covers areas from Lucas County all the way to Cuyahoga County.  In Lorain County, it includes the communities of Vermilion, Lorain, Avon Lake and Sheffield Lake.

Marcy Kaptur is a 15-term Democratic incumbent, and she defeated another Democrat incumbent, Dennis Kucinich, to capture her party’s nomination for the newly re-drawn Ohio congress district.  You can find out more about Congresswoman Kaptur at her political campaign website, http://marcykaptur.com/.

Joe the Plumber

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, her Republican challenger, defeated Steve Kraus in the 2012 Republican party primary for the seat.  He got his nickname “Joe the Plumber” during the 2008 presidential campaign when he confronted current president Barack Obama during a campaign stop in Ohio.  This is his first time ever running for elected office.  Wurzelbacher’s political campaign website can be found at http://www.joeforcongress2012.com/.

Libertarian candidate Sean Stipe, of Lorain, is also running for the seat.

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Video

Sam Wurzelbacher (Joe the Plumber) Video

State Representative Dan Ramos

BREAKING NEWS: Anthony Ziroli, a Lorain Republican who had filed to take on Democratic State Representative Dan Ramos in the 2012 election for Ohio 56th House District, has resigned his campaign, according to a press release from the Lorain County Republican Party.

According to the press release (which you can read below), the Lorain County Republican Central Committee Chairman will be considering applications for candidates to replace Ziroli on the November 6, 2012 general election ballot.

The 56th Ohio House District includes the following communities:

Amherst City
Amherst Township
Brighton Township
Brownhelm Township
Camden Township
Henrietta Township
Kipton Village
Lorain City
New Russia Township
Oberlin City
Pittsfield Township
Sheffield Lake City
Sheffield Township
South Amherst Village
Vermillion City

Press release about Republican Anthony Ziroli’s resignation from his campaign against Democrat Dan Ramos

Anthony Ziroli Resigns as Republican Candidate for State of Ohio 56th House District—Lorain County Republican Central Committee to Accept Applications for Replacement

Mr. Anthony Ziroli has resigned as the Republican Candidate for State Representative for the 56th House District.

Pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code, the Lorain County Republican Central Committee Chairman will convene a district committee meeting to choose a replacement for Mr. Ziroli. Those individuals interested in being considered to replace Mr. Ziroli as the Republican Candidate for the 56th House District should contact James Miller, Lorain County Republican Central Committee Chairman, at (440) 695-8079 or jmiller@wickenslaw.com no later than May 23, 2012.

Further information regarding the time and place of the district committee meeting will be provided at a later date.

An enthusiastic gentleman in Elyria’s third ward pulled up in his car and shouted for me to come over to his window.  He told me that he had found my flier on his door and jumped in his car to track me down and talk with me personally.

I’ve visited almost 12,000 doors in the last six months, and it can be tiring work, so I’m always appreciative when residents go out of their way to show their support.

This particular gentelman (I won’t share his name, because I didn’t ask his permission) said that he was a lifelong Democrat, but that he would be enthusiastically voting for me for Lorain County Commissioner and telling all of his friends to do the same.  He told me that he was a proud veteran, and he asked for a stack of campaign literature to share with his associates in a veterans’ group that he is a member of.

This gentleman’s act of kindness and support really made my day, and I want to make sure that he knows how much it meant to me.  When your feet are getting tired after miles of walking and the odds start seeming overwhelming, a show of support like that can really keep you going.

Thanks again for tracking me down, Mr. T. in Elyria . . . I appreciate it more than you know!