Ohio’s recently-redrawn 15th congressional district includes more than 450,000 new constituents, but the issues between the Republican and Democratic candidates are remaining inside party lines.
Both Democrat candidate Pat Lang and Republican incumbent Steve Stivers are adjusting to the new district, which consists of eight complete counties as well as parts of Fayette, Franklin, Ross and Athens counties in South-Central Ohio.
The district, which was finalized in December, leans heavily Republican. Only two of the 12 counties — Franklin and Athens — voted for President Barack Obama in the 2008 election.
Columbus, which accounted for many of the Democratic votes in Franklin County, is not included in the new district.
In 2010, Stivers garnered more than 54 percent of the vote — a 14-point victory over his Democratic opponent, Mary Jo Kilroy.
Even with the voting history against him, Lang said he is confident in his chances to win.
“Well, if you look at the race makeup, it does lean Republican, but it is only a Republican district (by five percentage points),” said Brian Peters, Lang’s campaign manager. “We definitely feel that we have a chance.”
Thus far, the candidates have focused their attention on economic issues and have put social issues on the back burner, and both said job creation and Medicare are at the forefront of their campaigns.
Stivers, an Ohio State graduate who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom before moving into the banking industry and eventually politics, wants to focus on the economy.
“I’ve focused on jobs and the economy with the ideals of being fiscally responsible,” Stivers said.
Lang, an Ohio University graduate, is currently the law director for the City of Athens after holding positions as an Athens City councilman and assistant county prosecutor.
Peters said the Lang campaign is committed to job creation and small business growth.
“This campaign is about growing the middle class, making government accountable to the people and protecting programs that people depend on, such as Medicare,” Lang said.
Lang said he wants to make sure that the money is still in Medicare in the future.
“Making sure it is funded, making sure that the money is there for others, is the goal,” Peters said.
Stivers agreed that funding Medicare is important, but said he has a different idea of how to fix the problem.
“Medicare will run out in 12 years if we do nothing,” he said. “Doing nothing is not an answer.”
Stivers supports the plan of GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, which would transform Medicare into a voucher system as a starting point to find a solution.
Neither candidate weighed in on the legalization of medicinal or recreational marijuana, but both voiced opinions on the issue of student loans.
“Stivers was a leader on the student-loan interest rate issue and worked to prevent interest rates from doubling,” said Grant Shaffer, Stivers’ campaign manager.
But Lang’s campaign said Stivers would not help students pay for higher education.
“Our opponent was for the Ryan budget, which cuts Pell Grants for student loans,” Peters said. “Pat knows the importance of education.”
Overall, Stivers said his bipartisan experience gives him an edge in the upcoming election.
“I believe this to be extremely important in moving this country forward,” Stivers said. “We must work together to get out of this rut.”
Kathy Hecht, chair of the Athens County Democratic Party, could not be reached for comment.
Pete Couladis, chair of the Athens County Republican Party, said he believes that what is good for the nation will be good for Athens.
“The most important issues are the economy and getting debt and spending under control,” Couladis said. “Stivers is the only one talking about these issues.
Lang sounds just like Obama with his message, and that’s exactly what the problem is.”
Stivers will be in Athens Sept. 27 to be the keynote speaker for a public dinner and social at the American Legion on Union Street.
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