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Freshman U.S. Rep. David Joyce faces a state rep in the GOP primary
YOUNGSTOWN
State Rep. Matt Lynch says he’s challenging freshman U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce in the 14th Congressional District Republican primary because the incumbent “isn’t conservative” and doesn’t reflect his constituents’ beliefs.
Joyce, who served 24 years as Geauga County prosecutor before being elected in 2012 to Congress, said, “I’ve been true to the conservative principals of my district,” but is “not as far to the right as my opponent.”
Lynch is considered one of the most-conservative members of the Ohio House who is suing Gov. John Kasich, a fellow Republican, and the Ohio Controlling Board for accepting $2.56 billion in federal money to expand Medicaid in the state.
If Joyce has conservative principles, “he doesn’t act on them,” Lynch said. “You need to vote the values of the district and not your party. He’s shown himself to be a party-man. He’s voted consistently with the party.”
Joyce said if you pick a few bills out of the more than 680 he’s voted on during his first term in the House, you can label him as almost anything.
“I have two questions when looking at [bills]: Is it in the best interests of the hardworking taxpayers, and is it something that’s going to help and stimulate a fair and efficient economy?” Joyce said.
Joyce, of Russell, has been an aggressive fundraiser, raising $1,217,687 as of March 31 compared with $78,543 for Lynch.
The district includes all of Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties and portions of Cuyahoga, Portage and Summit counties as well as 11 northern townships in Trumbull County.
When asked about his three major accomplishments during his first term, Joyce said he fights for taxpayers daily, works to control spending, and works to preserve and protect the Great Lakes.
Joyce also said if tax dollars are to be spent, they should be used on infrastructure.
Both Joyce and Lynch, an Ohio House member and attorney, want to repeal Obamacare.
“Clearly Obamacare is not working, and I’m reminded by my constituents every day that Ohioans deserve easier access to better care, not lost coverage and skyrocketing health costs,” Joyce said.
Lynch, of Bainbridge, wants to defund Obamacare, saying “gutless Republicans take meaningless votes” to repeal it.
“Congress has neglected to exercise its authority,” he said, adding that “many cowards are elected to office. I see it in the state Legislature, and it’s certainly in Congress.”
If elected, Lynch wants to shrink spending and focus on creating energy jobs, including natural-gas wells that he says is “creating thousands of jobs while offering cheap energy to consumers.”
The winner of the May 6 Republican primary will face Democrat Michael Wager and Libertarian David Macko in the November general election.