Write-in Wilson wins, will take on Blasdel

The Republican primary went to an East Liverpool state rep.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
More than $1 million was spent to get voters in 12 counties to write in the name of state Sen. Charlie Wilson as the Democratic nominee for the 6th Congressional District.
Unofficial results show that Wilson, of St. Clairsville, got 65 percent of the vote with 90 percent of precincts reporting. Wilson appears to have soundly beaten two Democrats whose names appeared on Tuesday's ballot: Bob Carr of Wellsville and John Stephen Luchansky of Boardman.
The unofficial results also show that Wilson won in each of the district's 12 counties.
Also, state Rep. Chuck Blasdel of East Liverpool got nearly 50 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, defeating three opponents and winning every county, according to unofficial results.
Official results won't be available for probably two weeks. But the unofficial results show Wilson and Blasdel with strong wins.
"I'm delighted to be in the position I'm in," Wilson said. "This election motivated the Democratic Party and organized labor. It's really moving."
This is considered one of the most competitive congressional seats in the country.
Wilson is only the fifth congressional candidate to win a partisan primary in the nation's history as a write-in and is the first to do so running against more than one opponent.
Wilson's campaign took a hit when he wasn't placed on the Democratic ballot because he failed to get at least 50 valid signatures from voters in the district.
Big spending
But Wilson spent about $500,000 of his own money and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent more than $600,000 to assist Wilson's effort. Most of the money was used to air television commercials.
Also, the National Republican Congressional Committee spent more than $500,000 for TV and radio commercials to attack Wilson.
"The credibility of our campaign is going higher and higher," Wilson said.
Blasdel said Wilson's historic write-in victory wasn't a surprise to him. But he points out that Wilson and the DCCC had to spend more than $1 million in a primary that should have cost about $100,000 or so to win.
Among the 12 counties in the 6th District are Columbiana and a portion of Mahonin
.
Elsewhere
Also, Lewis Katz of Pepper Pike won the Democratic primary for the 14th Congressional District race, beating two opponents, according to unofficial results. He will take on U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, a Concord Republican and six-term incumbent, in the November general election.
That district includes seven northern townships in Trumbull County.
Unofficial results show Capri Cafaro, formerly of Liberty, trailing in the Democratic primary for the open 13th Congressional District seat. Cafaro was in second place, about 3,400 votes behind former state Rep. Betty Sutton.
That is with about 40 percent of the vote in from Cuyahoga County, the largest county in the district.
skolnick@vindy.com