16th District Race Heats Up Between Renacci, Sutton
In the midst of Ohio’s national spotlight on the Presidential election, the state also has been receiving attention for one of its hotly contested House races.Ohio’s 16th district currently features a race between two incumbents due to redistricting, Jim Renacci (R) and Betty Sutton (D).With just under a week to go,signs may be pointing to a Renacci victory.In the recent poll that was released by Representative Renacci, he currently holds the lead over his Democratic challenger, 51 to 41.In response to the poll that was released, however, Rep. Sutton’s Campaign Spokesman, Steve Fought, says he thinks there were other motivating factors behind it.“The poll was released for one reason and one reason only, and that was to turn public attention away from the mistake of pulling $850,000 out of television advertising just two weeks before the election,” said Fought. Fought went on to call the poll bogus.Renacci Campaign Spokemsan James Slepian, on the other hand, said that the move was actually part of the strategy of running a more targeted campaign, which is centered on making more direct voter contacts in the final weeks of the campaign season to get as many voters to the polls as possible.Furthermore, Slepian said that the Renacci campaign is not off of television and will still have ads. Slepian dismissed the criticisms saying the Sutton campaign has no poll to show that the one released by the Renacci campaign is not accurate.When it comes to gaining voters and what the main issue was in the campaign, Fought said the number one issue is who can create the best jobs for people.“Representative Sutton wants to build from the middle class out, instead of giving all the money to the rich and hoping it will trickle down,” said Fought. This approach, Fought added, has led to satisfaction among voters as the people who met Rep. Sutton like her.Like the Sutton campaign, Congressman Renacci’s campaign also knows the significance of jobs in the minds of voters. Congressman Renacci, who has taken credit for creating 1,500 jobs in Northeast Ohio alone, believes that country cannot get to prosperity by taxing, spending, and regulating ourselves.“Rep Renacci wants to grow the economy from the private sector,” said Slepian.Despite stark differences in the policies each campaign believes will get America back on track, both have a common goal. That goal is to get as many voters as possible to the polls on Election Day.