POLITICS Office seeker prepares for race

The Republican candidate met with the Youngstown mayor, who is considering a congressional bid as an independent.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- State Rep. Ann Womer Benjamin, the Republican candidate in the 17th Congressional District race, realizes she faces an uphill battle to capture the seat.
But the Aurora politician said she is committed to running for the post in the Democratic-heavy district.
"This is a new challenge, and I don't take challenges lightly," Womer Benjamin said Monday during an interview with The Vindicator. "I realize there are some hurdles to overcome. I'm in this race at this point with every intention of staying in the race."
Met with McKelvey: Womer Benjamin had met earlier with Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey, who is considering an independent run for Congress. Top local and state Republicans have approached Mc-Kelvey about an independent bid.
Womer Benjamin said she was encouraged to run for the congressional seat by Ohio Republican Chairman Robert Bennett and several Ohio Republican congressmen.
McKelvey said he would not run against U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., who plans an independent bid for the seat. But the mayor said he would take a serious look at running if Traficant was out of the race. Traficant is on trial in federal court on charges including bribery and racketeering, making his political future uncertain.
McKelvey and Womer Benjamin said the possible showdown between the two was not discussed during their meeting. McKelvey said he was impressed with Womer Benjamin, who wanted to get a feel from the mayor about the city.
Considered other posts: Womer Benjamin has had much to consider politically in the past few months. She was going to run for Ohio secretary of state, but withdrew earlier this year when J. Kenneth Blackwell, the incumbent, opted to run for re-election. She was a finalist to be Gov. Bob Taft's lieutenant governor running mate. She also considered running for the 11th District Court of Appeals.
"I didn't think of the congressional race until five weeks ago," she said. "I don't know if I was real enthused initially, but I said I'd look at it."
After looking at the race, Womer Benjamin said, "It's more appealing than anything else I've done."
Womer Benjamin is running in the new 17th District, which includes northeast Mahoning County, all but seven northern townships in Trumbull County, most of Portage County, and a section of Summit County. Womer Benjamin lives in Aurora, which is in the new 14th Congressional District and is about three miles from the 17th District. State law permits Ohio residents to run for any congressional seats in the state.
Accomplishments: For the past eight years, Womer Benjamin has represented a majority of Portage County in the Ohio House. During her four terms, she had 16 bills signed into law, the most of any current House member. The bills include strengthening Ohio's rape law, protecting Ohio's Victims of Crime Fund from claims by felons and simplifying the state's probate and corporate law rules.
Womer Benjamin is the lone Republican candidate in the 17th Congressional District race, which is largely Democratic, as is 58 percent of the district's population in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
"This is a Democratic district, but I've won in a Democratic district before," she said.
skolnick@vindy.com