COLUMBUS Blasdel bows out of race to be speaker of House

Blasdel said his opponent got a jump in campaigning for the post.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- State Rep. Charles Blasdel, an East Liverpool Republican, is abandoning his bid to become the next speaker of the Ohio House, saying it was apparent that his chief rival had enough votes.
"It's pretty clear to me that Jon [Husted] has a very significant number of votes," Blasdel said Thursday. Blasdel said he's throwing his support to Husted, a Dayton-area Republican.
The two had been the front-runners to replace current House Speaker Larry Householder, a Glenford Republican, to be the next House leader in 2005 after term limits claim Householder next year.
Blasdel, 32, in his second two-year term, said he wanted to end the rampant speculation on who will be the next House speaker before next year's legislative elections.
Republicans hold a commanding 62-to-37 edge over Democrats in the Ohio House going into next November's elections.
"We could have split the caucus," Blasdel said.
"It seemed to me that the more important thing was to put the caucus first," Blasdel said.
What rival said
Husted, 36, said he credits Blasdel for putting party interests above his own.
"I think he took a real selfless step," said Husted, who is from the Dayton suburb of Kettering.
In recent months, Blasdel and Husted have been traveling around the state trying to meet with House members and gather support.
Blasdel said he believed Husted acquired a commanding edge in recent weeks, as a number of those in the GOP's conservative wing cast their lot with Husted.
Blasdel characterized Husted's support at "about 40." Blasdel said Husted, also in his second term, started campaigning for speaker very early.
"We just started way too late," Blasdel said.
"I don't care who's driving the bus. I care about the direction of the bus," Blasdel said. "I feel certain after talking with Jon the caucus will be moving in the right direction."
Neither Blasdel nor Husted said he knew of any other potential speaker candidates.
All 99 House seats are up for grabs next year.