Color Garrison as the purple of choice for 6th District Dems

Political analysts have long colored Ohio’s 6th Congressional District deep purple for its trend of alternately electing Democrats and Republicans to the House. This year, one can also color the two candidates in the district’s Democratic primary distinctive shades of purple as well.

Both Jennifer Garrison and Greg Howard proffer philosophies that blend red-based Republican ideology with blue-tinted Democratic dogma.

Politically speaking, that represents an astute and winnable philosophy given the traditionally moderate makeup of the large 18-county district that includes all of Columbiana County and a southern swath of Mahoning County.

It’s not surprising then that Garrison, 52, of Marietta says she would not have voted for the Affordable Care Act, that she is a dyed-in-the-wool pro-life advocate and she sidesteps many planks in President Barack Obama’s political platform.

Similarly, Howard distances himself from Obama and mainstream Democratic policies. Although he would have unenthusiastically voted for Obamacare as “the best [health care] option we got for now,” he is disheartened by the president’s support of the TransPacific Partnership, a free trade agreement modeled after the much maligned North American Free Trade Agreement. Howard also finds Obama’s use of drone strikes misguided policy.

Although Howard, 59, of Albany may be placed a shade to the left of Garrison on the political continuum, differences between these two moderate Democrats are minimal at best.

To his credit, Howard has made campaign finance reform — particularly undoing the destructive 2010 Citizens United decision — a primary aim. Howard, too, also would work to promote legislation to enhance job creation and retention in the largely rural 6th District.

We commend Howard for his guts in taking an active role in the political process, but we believe Democrats would be best served by nominating the experienced Garrison on May 6.

GARRISON’S EXPERIENCE COUNTS

Unlike Howard, Garrison has run for and has won public office. She served as the 93rd District state representative for three terms through 2010. In her years in the General Assembly, Garrison served her constituents competently. She fought to improve education funding for rural schools, to keep utility rates low and to actively advocate transparency and accountability from the Legislature to the public.

She also clings to some bedrock Democratic Party ideals. She long has supported working men and women in the state and has won several endorsements from statewide labor unions. She has defended collective-bargaining rights of workers and she vows to continue to work “to lift up the middle class.”

Atty. Garrison, too, has honed her skills in mediating, interceding in more than 700 cases between energy companies and landowners in eastern Ohio. Those mediation skills certainly would come in handy to help resolve intraparty and interparty squabbles in Congress.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face a tough fight against Republican Bill Johnson of Marietta in November. Garrison clearly emerges as the fittest soldier in that fight for Democrats.