The silly season of politics has come early. A political website, PolitickerOH.com, offered this jewel recently: “Sources say Cafaro is mulling U.S. Senate bid.”
In fact, the web story is based on only one source — a “Democratic insider who is close to Cafaro” — and offers little more than speculation about state Sen. Capri Cafaro’s political ambitions.
While it is true that the Democratic legislator from 32nd District, which includes Trumbull County, would like to go to Congress, a challenge of Republican incumbent George V. Voinvoich is far fetched.
There are a lot of reasons why Cafaro, who is seeking a four-year term this year, would not run against Voinovich, but the main one is the senator’s long relationship with the Cafaro family.
Indeed, Voinovich, when he was governor, was close to William Cafaro, who built the family fortune. When he died, the Cafaro Co. was one of the largest shopping center development companies in the country. Capri Cafaro is his granddaughter.
On the other hand, if Voinovich decides not seek re-election, Cafaro will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate, as will many other Ohio officeholders.