Huge Victory For Democrats As Mary Jo Kilroy Wins In OH-15

Last undecided House race of 2008 goes to the good guys

Last night an embarrassing Democratic crook, William Jefferson, was defeated in one of the most solid blue districts in the country (D+28) for one reason and one reason only-- he's an indicted criminal on his way to prison. Also in Louisiana, a reactionary, anti-choice nominal Democrat almost beat a Republican in a solidly Republican (R+7) district. There may will even be a recount. In those four races there was no good choice. All the candidates sucked and it didn't matter which of them won.

The last House race of 2008 to be decided was decided, though, in a tight count in central Ohio's 15th CD, centered in Columbus. It was a district where rubber stamp Republican Deborah Pryce, who was nearly beaten by solidly progressive Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy in 2006, retired rather than face Kilroy again. So John Boehner trussed up some GOP banking lobbyist and called him a moderate. Today, after a court ruling that seemed to help the lobbyist's case, the vote counting was finished and Mary Jo won-- and won big enough for it to be outside the margin of recountville.

This is exactly how 2008 should have ended the electoral fortunes of the Democrats-- the real deal, Mary Jo, who will go to Congress to fight like a tiger on behalf of working families, defeating some GOP slug-- while a crook and a right-wing Democrat go down in flames. I like it! Stivers has conceded and the local media is hailing Mary Jo as the victor. The final vote count:

Mary Jo Kilroy-- 139,582
Steve Stivers- -137,271

Ohio now has 10 Democratic House members and 8 Republicans. Hopefully 2010 will see the end of Mean Jean Schmidt's career. She won this year with only 45% of the vote. Patrick Tiberi and Steve LaTourette are also good targets. And then there's Senator George Voinovich...