Tea-party activist nixes challenge to Kasich

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s tea-party movement will work to recruit a new primary challenger to Republican Gov. John Kasich after their first contender backed out of the race, a leading activist said Sunday.

Tom Zawistowski told The Associated Press that heavy media attention may have been a contributing factor in tea-party leader Ted Stevenot’s announcement late Saturday that he was withdrawing, less than a week after he’d entered the contest.

“I just don’t think a lot of people in our movement have experience with the media, and it’s a little overwhelming for them,” Zawistowski said. “At the same time, what’s really stuck in our craw is this idea of not having a choice. We have to figure out a way to do that that’s manageable, and we’re going to continue to try.”

Tea-party supporters have until Feb. 5 to field an alternative to Kasich in May’s primary election.

Kasich told reporters in Columbus last month he wasn’t fretting about possible primary opposition: “I’m too busy running the state. Whoever comes, they come.”

Primary challenges to incumbent governors in Ohio are rare. A write-in ticket opposing Democratic Gov. Richard Celeste mustered fewer than 1,000 votes in the 1986 primary, while Republican Gov. James Rhodes turned back a 1978 primary opponent by a margin of more than 2-to-1. Both incumbents were re-elected.

However, some tea-party activists in Ohio have been grumbling about Kasich and other leading Republicans for months, saying they aren’t adhering to conservative principles. It’s a conflict that’s not unique to the state that has become pivotal every four years in presidential races.

In an emailed statement, Stevenot said he decided not to run — despite “a tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement” — after discussions with family, friends and advisers.

Indeed, leaders of the two major parties usually hope to avoid primary contests because they can be divisive and drain funds from the general-election campaign.