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Who’s ‘right’ in race for 6th District?
The congressional campaign of Democrat Charlie Wilson has used the slogan “Right for Us. One of Us” since February.
So imagine the campaign’s surprise when Wilson’s opponent — U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th — mailed fliers this week to voters using the exact same slogan.
It wasn’t an accident.
“How can that be Charlie Wilson’s slogan when he’s not right for us and not one of us?” said Mark Weaver, Johnson’s campaign spokesman. “We think Charlie Wilson has no business claiming that. It’s incorrect.”
When asked if Johnson’s campaign saw the three fliers of Wilson with the slogan, Weaver said, “Absolutely. We saw them and said, ‘That’s wrong.’ When he claimed it, we had to dispute that and let people know Bill Johnson is right for us and is one of us. When you support [President] Barack Obama and [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi, you can’t be right for us. It was done to show the difference.”
The new Johnson flier includes his slogan “Join the Fight” on the back and also includes “Right for Us. One of Us” without mentioning Wilson or that the mailer criticizes his slogan.
Wilson, a Democrat from St. Clairsville, lost to Johnson in 2010 after serving four years in the U.S. House.
J.R. Starrett, Wilson’s campaign manager, said he questions if Johnson is “even aware that his campaign team was sending out a piece of mail that includes his opponent’s slogan.”
Weaver said Johnson is “absolutely aware” of the mail, and the congressman disagrees with Wilson that the Democrat is “right for the district and is one of the district.”
“This has to be an embarrassing admission for the Johnson camp,” Starrett said. “They knowingly used, and admit, that the Wilson team has their thumb of the pulse of the electorate. This instance has to be seen as yet another sign that the Johnson campaign is unorganized and falling behind.”
The mail sent this week is the only one by Johnson’s campaign that will use Wilson’s slogan, Weaver said.
“We’re not stealing it,” Weaver said when asked if that was the case. “He doesn’t own those words.”
As for the “one of us” part, Wilson lives a few miles west of the 6th Congressional District, which includes Columbiana County and southern Mahoning County, when he served as its representative from 2007 to 2010.
Congressional officeholders don’t have to live in the district they represent.
When Johnson ran in 2010, he lived in Poland, a short distance from the 6th District.
Because of that, neither Wilson nor Johnson were able to vote for themselves in 2010.
Shortly after winning the 2010 election, Johnson moved to Marietta, in the middle of the district.
Also, Republican-controlled congressional redistricting changed the makeup of the 6th to include all of Belmont County, including Wilson’s hometown of St. Clairsville, with this election. Both candidates will be able to vote in this general election.
Meanwhile, Wilson started airing his first television commercial for this race Friday on television network affiliates in the district’s three main media markets including Youngstown. The campaign spent $115,756.76 on the commercials with about $35,000 to $40,000 in Youngstown.
The campaign had reserved network-affiliate airtime starting Sept. 18.
“We moved it up because polling is looking great,” Starrett said. “We’re in a good position, and people want to know Bill Johnson’s positions” on issues.
Wilson’s first commercial airs until Sept. 3 and has him criticizing the trade imbalance between the United States and China.
“So what’s Bill Johnson doing? He’s protecting tax breaks for companies that send our jobs overseas,” Wilson said in the commercial.
In a campaign statement, Wilson said Johnson “voted to ship American manufacturing jobs overseas,” mentioned the congressman’s vote for trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia.
“Votes such as these show that Congressman Johnson would rather work for the millionaires on Wall Street instead of the manufacturing workers who live on Main Street,” Wilson said.
In response, Weaver said, “Bill Johnson believes in free and fair trade. Charlie Wilson has some nerve to make these allegations given he voted for Obama’s wasteful stimulus program that sent American jobs and tax dollars overseas to places like China.”