14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Several Dems look to challenge LaTourette
J.J. Cafaro's daughter is considering a run.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Democrats are lining up to take on U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, a Madison Republican, in next year's election.
State Rep. Ed Jerse of Euclid, the House's senior Democrat, and Herb Hammer, a sales executive from Chagrin Falls, have already filed to run as Democrats for the 14th Congressional District seat, held by LaTourette for the past nine years.
Also, Capri Cafaro of Liberty obtained nominating petitions Monday for the seat. Dale Blanchard, an accountant from Solon who lost to LaTourette in the 2000 and 2002 general elections, is circulating petitions for the post.
Cafaro is the daughter of J.J. Cafaro and is the former president of USAerospace Group, the Virginia technology company that was a part of the corruption trial of former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr.
Cafaro has worked on Capitol Hill and was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
She considered a run for Congress in 2002 against Traficant before the corruption trial that also saw her father, an executive with the Cafaro Co., plead guilty to a felony.
Friday is the filing deadline to get on the March 2 primary ballot. The winners of the partisan party primaries move on to the November general election. LaTourette filed his petitions to seek a sixth term in the House.
Not surprised
"It really doesn't matter how many Democrats line up against me, they only get to pick one," he said. "The Democratic Party is attempting to take back the House of Representatives as they have been for the past 10 years. I think it's healthy for the Democratic Party that so many people are interested in Congress."
Is he being targeted?
"If you're a Democrat in Northeast Ohio, I'm the only choice" to challenge for Congress, LaTourette said. "It's not like you can pick six or seven different seats. For the past 10 years, I've been the only elected member of Congress [from Northeast Ohio] who's a Republican."
Jerse said Democrats are interested in LaTourette's seat because the Republican congressman is beatable. Jerse added that he is the most viable candidate because he is the only Democrat in the race with any elected experience.
"You don't walk into a congressional race as your first elected office," he said. "I've been down in Columbus for eight years, and I'm still learning. There's a learning curve. To come in with no experience makes that curve even greater."
District's boundaries
The 14th Congressional District consists of seven northern townships in Trumbull County, along with all of Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties, and portions of Cuyahoga, Portage and Summit counties.
Cafaro and Jerse don't live in the 14th District. But Ohio law doesn't require congressional candidates to live in a congressional district to seek that seat, but they must be residents of the state.
skolnick@vindy.com