Candidates seek sorority vote in OH-15

COLUMBUS, Ohio — State Sen. Steve Stivers (R) stepped out of the blustery conditions and into the lobby of the large white-pillared Delta Zeta sorority house.

Stivers was there to find votes, but not necessarily for the Republican Party.

{mosads}“I just wanted to introduce myself around and say hello to you guys,” he said on Monday afternoon. “The reason I’m running for Congress is because I want to try to bring the Republicans and Democrats together to get things done.

“That’s what I’ve done in the state Senate,” Stivers said to a roomful of sorority sisters munching on pasta. After a brief speech, a Delta Zeta rushed up to him and asked for a photo.

“Can I get a picture with you? I’ve heard so much about you,” she said.

This is a good sign for Stivers, who has known since entering the race last November that the contest for Ohio’s 15th district would be a tough battle.

“I have been staying active in the campus area because obviously there’s a lot of voters here who are not particularly partisan, and I think a lot of them are going to come out to vote for Barack Obama but that doesn’t mean that they’ll necessarily vote a straight ballot,” the 43-year-old Stivers said.

And with a week left before Election Day, Stivers has his work cut out for him.

In the only district in central Ohio to vote predominantly for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) four years ago, he has been out- fundraised by Democratic nominee Mary Jo Kilroy while Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) leads Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in recent Ohio polls.

Like Obama, Stivers hopes that his youth (“I’m significantly younger than my opponent,” he told The Hill between sorority houses), energy and voting record will help sway those still on the fence.

On Tuesday, Kilroy and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) were also seeking to rally college students at a “Campaign for Change” office, a coordinated campus effort between Obama's campaign and Kilroy.

Like Stivers, Kilroy hopes Obama's momentum among younger voters will help make her bid a success.

“Well, one thing is the incredible energy that the Obama campaign has generated especially among young voters," she said. "Last time there was a big fallout among [college] voters for various reasons but I think that students in operations like this one here are going to make a difference.”

She said the state of the economy had also changed since her 2006 run.  “The  economy is so much worse now," she said.”

The 15th district is located in the center of the state and encompasses the city of Columbus as well as parts of the rural areas surrounding Ohio’s largest city. Despite the corrosive environment for Republicans in 2006, Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) narrowly defeated Kilroy by under 2,000 votes. The result stunned some political analysts.

Stivers said the Republican brand has weakened in certain parts of the district.

“In Union and Madison counties, the Republican brand is alive and kicking,” he said. “If I’m in the suburbs, the Republican brand is competitive, and if I’m in the city of Columbus, like where I live in Harrison West, the Republican brand is not as competitive and frankly that’s why I run as myself, and I happen to be a Republican.”

He added, “But I’m not just a typical Republican.”

Only one national Republican, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.), has joined Stivers on the campaign trail. Stivers said he talks to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) periodically.

{mospagebreak}Stivers is acutely aware of the fine line he has had to walk over the past year.

“I always find myself pointing out the differences between John McCain and I, George Bush and I, and frankly the similarities and differences between us as well as similarities and differences between myself and Barack Obama,” he said.

Hoyer told The Hill he is confident Kilroy will be a member of the 111th Congress.

{mosads}“In an environment that was  ood but not as good today's, she came within 1,100 votes of knocking off one of the Republican leaders,” he said. “It was an extraordinary accomplishment … we've got a very exciting campaign and she's going to win.”

Following a speech to Kappa Alpha Theta, a woman raised her hand and asked Stivers, “Are you a Republican or are you a Democrat?”

“I happen to be a Republican,” he said. “But I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats. I want to go to Washington to bring people together because there isn’t enough of that.”

Stivers says Washington must be more fiscally responsible. He is not against all earmarks but favors the line-item veto because “that’s the ultimate in earmark reform.”

Stivers said he would have had “tough questions” on the $700 billion economic rescue legislation, but didn’t go as far as to say he would have opposed it.

After six years in the Ohio General Assembly, the attractive, then engaged and now married state lawmaker was on the road to becoming the next president of the Ohio Senate. Stivers said his mind changed following the memorial service for Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), who died suddenly in September 2007.

“I said no three or four times,” said Stivers. “When I looked around I saw [GOP Reps.] Deborah Pryce, Ralph Regula and Dave Hobson, who were all retiring…these are people who worked to get things done. We need people like that in Congress.”

The attacks on Stivers started almost immediately. The day he announced his bid, a spokesman from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee described Stivers as a refugee of the unpopular administration of Gov. Bob Taft and as a “paid lobbyist” for Bank One.

He said the negative ads simply serve to drive away voters: “They probably hate both of us at this point … I guess they’ll pick who they hate the least.”

After asking if the crowd at his second sorority of the day had any questions, Stivers turned to leave, passing a table full of bright yellow fliers with the words “Obama Bash!” written in bold black letters across the top.