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Ohio's 9th Congressional District elections, 2012
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November 6, 2012 |
March 6, 2012 |
Marcy Kaptur  |
Marcy Kaptur |
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The 9th Congressional District of Ohio held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.
Incumbent Marcy Kaptur won the election.[1]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Ohio has a mostly closed primary system, in which voters must vote in the same party's primary as in the previous election, or register with the other party to switch.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by February 5. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 7.[2]
- See also: Ohio elections, 2012
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Marcy Kaptur (D), though because of redistricting, she will face a primary challenge from Dennis J. Kucinich, who represents Ohio's 10th District. Kaptur has represented the 9th District since 1983.[3]
This was the first election using district maps based on data from the 2010 Census. Ohio's 9th Congressional District is located in the northernmost portion of the state and includes portions of Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Erie, Lorain, and Cuyahoga counties.[4]
On March 30, 2012, the National Journal released a list of the top ten most contorted congressional districts, as a result of redistricting.[5] The 9th District was included in the list.[5]
Politico rated the 9th District race between Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur one of the five ugliest member vs. member battles.[6]
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
General election candidates
March 6, 2012 primary results
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Election results
General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Marcy Kaptur Incumbent |
73% | 217,771 | |
| Republican | Samuel Wurzelbacher | 23% | 68,668 | |
| Libertarian | Sean Stipe | 3.9% | 11,725 | |
| Total Votes | 298,164 | |||
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Democratic Primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Marcy Kaptur Incumbent |
56.2% | 42,902 |
| Dennis J. Kucinich Incumbent | 40% | 30,564 |
| Graham Vesysey | 3.8% | 2,900 |
| Total Votes | 76,366 | |
Republican Primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Samuel Wurzelbacher |
51.4% | 15,166 |
| Steven Kraus | 48.6% | 14,323 |
| Total Votes | 29,489 | |
Race background
The Washington Post listed the House of Representatives elections in Ohio in 2012 as one of the 10 states that could determine whether Democrats would retake the House or Republicans would hold their majority in 2013.[10] Ohio tied with Pennsylvania for 9th on the list.[10]
Impact of Redistricting
- See also Redistricting in Ohio
Following the 2010 Census, Ohio was forced to eliminate two of its 18 congressional seats. Other than Ohio, only New York lost two seats. Although Ohio still saw positive net growth (only Michigan lost population in the past decade), urban areas in the state saw steep population declines. Of Ohio's five largest cities -- Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron -- only Columbus showed population growth (10.6% since 2000). Of the five, Cleveland suffered the sharpest decline, losing 17.1% its population.[11]
Taken together, these factors required legislators to cut a district from the Cleveland area. However, state lawmakers were bound to preserve (and expand) Marcia Fudge's (D) heavily African American 11th District due to provisions of the Voting Rights Act. From early in the process, outspoken Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich was seen as a likely target for Ohio's Republican-dominated legislature. Ultimately, the Ohio Legislature decided to eliminate Kucinich's 10th District and connect its remnants with an elongated District 9.
The decision set off a major primary battle between Kucinich and 9th District incumbent Marcy Kaptur (D). At first, the new district favored Kucinich, but revisions to the plan returned a number of Kaptur's old constituents to District 9.[12]
On March 30, 2012, the National Journal released a list of the top ten most contorted congressional districts, as a result of redistricting.[5] The 9th District was on the list.[5]
The new district is composed of the following percentages of voters of the old congressional districts.[13][14]
- 47 percent from the 9th Congressional District
- 40 percent from the 10th Congressional District
- 13 percent from the 13th Congressional District
| Changes to Ohio's Ninth Congressional District |
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Registration statistics
As of October 29, 2012, District 9 had the following partisan registration breakdown according to the Ohio Secretary of State:
| Ohio Congressional District 9[15] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congressional District | District Total | Democrats | Republicans | Other & Unaffiliated | Advantage | Party Advantage | Change in Advantage from 2010 |
| District 9 | 475,188 | 97,587 | 48,344 | 329,257 | Democratic | 101.86% | N/A |
| "Party advantage" is the percentage gap between the two major parties in registered voters. "Change in advantage" is the spread in difference of party advantage between 2010 and 2012 based on the congressional district number only. | |||||||
District partisanship
FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012 study
- See also: FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012
In 2012, FairVote did a study on partisanship in the congressional districts, giving each a percentage ranking (D/R) based on the new 2012 maps and comparing that to the old 2010 maps. Ohio's 9th District became more Democratic because of redistricting.[16]
- 2012: 64D / 36R
- 2010: 59D / 41R
Cook Political Report's PVI
In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measures each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. Ohio's 9th Congressional District has a PVI of D+15, which is the 71st most Democratic district in the country. In 2008, this district was won by Barack Obama (D), 68-32 percent over John McCain (R). In 2004, John Kerry (D) won the district 64-36 percent over George W. Bush (R).[17]
Campaign contributions
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2012 elections season. Below are candidate reports.
Marcy Kaptur
| Marcy Kaptur (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[18] | March 31, 2012 | $422,910.87 | $264,334.12 | $(581,529.67) | $105,715.32 | ||||
| July Quarterly[19] | July 15 | $105,715.32 | $129,130.88 | $(74,132.45) | $160,713.75 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $393,465 | $(655,662.12) | ||||||||
Samuel Wurzelbacher
| Samuel Wurzelbacher (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[20] | March 31, 2012 | $8,456.40 | $161,195.62 | $(87,170.51) | $82,481.51 | ||||
| July Quarterly[21] | July 15 | $82,481.51 | $95,722.81 | $(163,472.05) | $14,732.27 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $256,918.43 | $(250,642.56) | ||||||||
Issues
Primary Endorsements
Democratic primary
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Marcy Kaptur: |
Dennis Kucinich: |
Graham Veysey:
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Republican primary
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Samuel Wurzelbacher: |
Steven Kraus:
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Debates
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February 4, 2012 On Saturday, February 4, candidates Kaptur, Kucinich, Veysey, and Kraus participated in a debate held at Sandusky's Ebenezer Baptist Church. The debate was hosted by the NAACP. Coverage of the debate can be found here. February 13, 2012 On Monday, February 13, Democratic candidates Kaptur, Kucinich, and Veysey participated in a debate for Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio Network. Coverage of the debate can be found here. February 20, 2012 On Monday, February 20, Democratic candidates Kaptur, Kucinich, and Veysey participated in a debate hosted by the City Club of Cleveland. Coverage of the debate can be found here. Full audio of the debate can be found here. February 22, 2012 On Wednesday, Democratic candidates Kaptur, Kucinich, and Veysey participated in a debate hosted by the Coalition for Hispanic/Latino Issues & Progress (CHIP). Full video of the debate can be found here. February 23, 2012 On Thursday, February 23, the Sandusky Register hosted a debate featuring the District 9 Democratic candidates. Full video of the debate can be found here. |
Polls
| District 9 Democratic Primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Marcy Kaptur | Dennis J. Kucinich | Graham Veysey | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| American Public Polling February 20 – 27, 2012 | 39% | 35% | 10% | 16% | +/- Not published | 200 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
The following is a selection of audio and video for the District 9 candidates. Some were released by candidates, others by local media.
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District history
2010
On November 2, 2010, Kaptur won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated Rich Iott in the general election.[28]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio Congressional District 9 Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur Incumbent |
59.4% | 121,819 | |
| Republican | Rich Iott | 40.6% | 83,423 | |
| Total Votes | 205,242 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio, 2012
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in Ohio, 2012
External links
- Ohio Secretary of State, "Elections and Voting"
- Ohio Secretary of State, Register To Vote
- Ohio Secretary of State, Find Your Polling Location
- Ohio Secretary of State, "2012 Ohio Voter Information Guide"
- Ohio Secretary of State, Absentee and Early Voting Information
- Ohio Secretary of State, Request an Absentee Ballot
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Ohio," accessed November 11, 2012
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "FAQ," accessed June 29, 2012
- ↑ Fox 8 Cleveland Kucinich seeks re-election in new Ohio district December 6, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ Ohio Redistricting Map, "Map" accessed August 9, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 National Journal, "Modern Gerrymanders: 10 Most Contorted Congressional Districts—MAPS," accessed March 31, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Congress 2012: The 5 ugliest member vs. member battles" accessed April 18, 2012
- ↑ Fox Toledo "Veysey enters tight 9th District race" accessed January 16, 2012
- ↑ Politico Joe the Plumber running for Congress in Ohio's 9th Congressional District December 6, 2011
- ↑ Toledo Blade "Auctioneer from Huron to oppose Plumber accessed January 16, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Washington Post, "The 10 states that will determine control of the House in 2012," accessed April 25, 2012
- ↑ Examiner.com, "4 of 5 big Ohio cities, counties lose people, Whites still dominate, Census says," March 10, 2011
- ↑ The Hill, "Democratic Reps. Kucinich and Kaptur brace for House survival showdown," December 22, 2011
- ↑ Moonshadow Mobile's CensusViewer, "Ohio's congressional districts 2001-2011 comparison"
- ↑ Labels & Lists, "VoterMapping software voter counts"
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Precinct-By-Precinct Data," March 6, 2012
- ↑ "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Ohio," September 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" accessed October 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Marcy Kaptur April Quarterly," accessed July 14, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Marcy Kaptur July Quarterly," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Samuel Wurzelbacher April Quarterly," accessed July 14, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Samuel Wurzelbacher July Quarterly," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call YouTube channel
- ↑ DJKucinich YouTube channel
- ↑ Graham Veysey for Congress YouTube channel
- ↑ WUPW YouTube channel
- ↑ TeamKraus YouTube channel
- ↑ SeanStipe YouTube channel
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
