General

Sen. DeWine’s Son Loses House Primary in Ohio

The LA Times is profiling the DeWine defeat this morning and blaming us theocrats.

Although he raised more than $1 million for his campaign, DeWine saw a commanding lead vanish over the last three months, due to objections from Christian conservatives who have become increasingly active politically.

Observers cite two factors: First, DeWine divorced three years ago, and news of the split spread on the Internet and in radio ads. Second, he suffered the wrath of conservative Christian activists after his father helped forge the recent compromise agreement in the Senate to preserve the filibuster for judicial nominations while guaranteeing confirmation of some but not all of Bush’s nominees.

“It does speak to the power of the filibuster issue among social conservatives,” said Amy Walter, who studies House races for the Cook Political Report. “I think it really turned a pretty sleepy race into a very hard-fought one.”

DeWine’s divorce was not discussed openly in the campaign, but was alluded to by other candidates. Bob McEwen, a former congressman who lost his seat in the 1990s, was endorsed by James Dobson, head of the Focus on the Family organization. Dobson broadcast radio ads highlighting McEwen’s dedication to religious values. McEwen came in second to Schmidt.

Schmidt used the slogan “Character Matters” and frequently mentioned her nearly three-decade marriage.

Tim Rudd, chairman of the Clermont County Republican Committee, said the feelings against the DeWines were palpable after the senator helped forge the filibuster compromise.

“The reaction was, ‘We’ve got one DeWine; we sure don’t want another,’ ” Rudd said. Schmidt won with about 31% of the vote. DeWine received 12%.

Go theocrats! Hmmm, we need a good cheer. tip to LakeshoreLaments

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