Months after Ohio’s redistricting process left Athens County with a new congressional representative, three men are seeking to take his seat before he can get comfortable.
Rep. Steve Stivers, R-15th, will face challenger Charles Chope for the GOP nomination Tuesday, while Scott Wharton and Athens City Law Director Pat Lang will compete for the Democratic nomination.
The winners of each primary election will then face off for the congressional seat in November’s general election.
Both Lang and Wharton said they are running because of dissatisfaction with the performance of the current members of Congress.
“So far, Stivers has done nothing but support big companies and big businesses,” Wharton said. “It’s people like him that is what’s wrong with congress, and as of now, he is a member of the worst Congress in our history.”
Lang said members of Congress, including Stivers, are not protecting their constituents in important issues, such as Medicare. If elected, Lang said he would focus on representing the voters when in Washington.
“Washington is broken. The two parties cannot come together to protect the people,” Lang said. “Stivers is a former banking lobbyist who has voted on the side of the banks many times.”
After serving Athens City Council since his undergraduate years at Ohio University, Lang said he has decided to leave his current post in the city in order to effect change on a larger scale.
“I enjoy my job as law director,” Lang said. “But as a congressman, I feel like I can effect the kind of change that I want to see in this country.”
Democratic candidate Scott Wharton said that, in order for Ohio to get out of its current recession, there needs to be a compromise from both the Democrats and the Republicans.
An Ohio University alumnus, retired Delta Airlines pilot and ex-member of the United States Air Force, Wharton said he has been preparing for a position in Congress his whole life.
“My background speaks for itself and has prepared me for a job in Congress thus far,” Wharton said.
If elected to Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Wharton said he would work to create jobs and strive to ensure large businesses will not infest the economy.
Stivers, who is serving his first term in the House of Representatives, also served in the Ohio Senate and in the Ohio Army National Guard, according to his website.
Stivers and his Republican challenger Charles Chope could not be reached for comment.
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