NRA may back Dem against DeWine in '06
By Peter Savodnik
The Hill
August 10, 2005

Gun activists angry with Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and the state GOP are welcoming talk of Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) challenging the second-term senator next year.

Frustration with DeWine hit a new high late last month when the senator was one of only two Republicans (Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island being the other) to oppose a bill shielding gun manufacturers from liability for damages resulting from the use of their products.

The vote came about two months after DeWine joined the so-called Gang of 14 to forge a judicial-nominees agreement, alienating many conservatives who felt the seven Republicans in the group had jettisoned party principle in the name of bipartisanship.

In a possible sign of just how angry conservatives were at the pact over judicial nominees , DeWine’s son, Pat, a local Republican official, came in fourth in a June 14 GOP congressional primary in the staunchly Republican 2nd District.

Ryan, in his second term, has not declared his political plans but has been repeatedly mentioned in Ohio and inside the Beltway as a possible Senate contender. Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), loathed by conservatives for his outspoken opposition to free trade, tax cuts and gun rights, among other issues, also may run.

“Personally, as an individual and an ardent Republican, I would love to see anyone run against DeWine, especially Ryan,” said Rick Kaleda, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) election-volunteer coordinator in Ryan’s 17th District. The NRA endorsed Ryan in his successful 2002 Democratic primary bid against then-Rep. Tom Sawyer.

Gun Owners of America, touting itself as the “no-compromise” gun-rights group, gave Ryan a B for his voting record in the 108th Congress, said the group’s executive director, Larry Pratt. In contrast, DeWine received an F, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) earned a D and Sens. George Allen (R-Va.) and Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), both unabashed conservatives, got C’s, according to the group’s website.

Pratt estimated that there are 25 Democrats in Congress who have voting records as conservative as Ryan’s, as far as gun rights are concerned.

“The feeling I get from a lot of gun owners statewide is there are a lot of folks who have a loyalty to one party or another [who] are starting to look at that a little differently, with the Tafts, the DeWines, the Voinoviches,” Kaleda added, referring to Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, both Republicans.

Voinovich opposed some of President Bush’s tax cuts and, more recently, Bush’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton.

Taft, for his part, has come under attack for widespread corruption in state government, which is dominated by the GOP. In addition, Conservatives have railed against him for supporting a series of tax increases.

Ryan could not be reached for comment yesterday. His spokesman, Ryan Keating, said the congressman was on a congressional-delegation trip to China.

“Congressman Ryan has been approached by some national and Ohio Democrats and urged to run for Senate, but at this time he’s focused on serving the people of the 17th District,” Keating said.

A Capitol Hill lobbyist, calling DeWine “the most activist, anti-gun Republican in the Senate,” noted that Ryan’s congressional voting record is thin but added that, as a state senator, he had “a long and consistent record of pro-gun support.”

While the NRA generally supports Republicans, it is not averse to backing Democrats or staying out of races where there are no discernible differences between the Republican and Democratic candidates when it comes to the Second Amendment.

The gun-rights group last year supported Reps. Max Sandlin and Nicholas Lampson, both Texas Democrats, as well as Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.). Also, it stayed out of Senate races in Oklahoma and Louisiana, where both the Republicans and Democrats backed gun rights.
Jason Mauk, the Ohio Republican Party’s political director, downplayed any suggestion that DeWine is vulnerable next year. He noted that Democrats have yet to come up with a candidate and that, gun-owners’ complaints notwithstanding, DeWine votes with the president 95 percent of the time.

“Senator DeWine has a long-standing record of public service to Ohio that has given him enormous respect on both sides of the political aisle in this state,” Mauk said.

A message left at DeWine’s campaign office was not returned.

Also helping DeWine is the fact that Democrats as of yet are not aggressively pursuing a challenge, especially when compared to other priority races, such as Pennsylvania, where Santorum faces a tough reelection battle, or Rhode Island, where Chafee is viewed as particularly vulnerable.

Jack Filak, regional director of the Youngstown, Ohio, branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said labor activists would likely rally around the Democrats’ Senate nominee next year.

But, Filak added: “There are certainly worse senators than DeWine.”


www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/081005/nra.html

Good for them.  If they don't do something like this once in a while (1) GOP'ers start to take the endorsement for granted and (2) pro-gun Dems give up on the endorsement/see less incentive to take a pro-gun stance against the party line.

As loyal to the GOP as I am, I see the need for something like this.  (Although something similar in my home state a few years back ruffled a lot of GOP feathers that are still ruffled. )

Quoted: Good for them.  If they don't do something like this once in a while (1) GOP'ers start to take the endorsement for granted and (2) pro-gun Dems give up on the endorsement/see less incentive to take a pro-gun stance against the party line. As loyal to the GOP as I am, I see the need for something like this.

+1

Quoted: Good for them.  If they don't do something like this once in a while (1) GOP'ers start to take the endorsement for granted and (2) pro-gun Dems give up on the endorsement/see less incentive to take a pro-gun stance against the party line. As loyal to the GOP as I am, I see the need for something like this.

Beat me to it - you are right on the money. We need to spank the anti-gun republicans and encourage more pro-gun democrats.

The NRA supported a democrat in my Congressional district in the last election, as well as Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader from Nevada.

Gotta love the GOA with their low grades of just about everybody.  They probably would give the NRA a D-.  For them, a B is pretty damned good.

Quoted: While the NRA generally supports Republicans, it is not averse to backing Democrats or staying out of races where there are no discernible differences between the Republican and Democratic candidates when it comes to the Second Amendment. The gun-rights group last year supported Reps. Max Sandlin and Nicholas Lampson, both Texas Democrats, as well as Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.). Also, it stayed out of Senate races in Oklahoma and Louisiana, where both the Republicans and Democrats backed gun rights.

Curiously theyleft out the fact that the NRA backed nobody for Senator McCain's spot.

Excellent news.

My 2nd amendment support knows no party. In fact ONE of my Senators, (John Warner, Rino-VA) is just as bad as Feinstein!

Yep.  It's gonna be a harsh reality for GOPers who take us for granted.

While DeWine is certainly no friend of gun owners, Chaffe is far, far worse.

If the NRA is successfull in ousting DeWine, they really should find and endorse a suitable RKBA
candidate to oppose Chaffe. It wouldn't matter to me if the person was Rep or Dem.

“Senator DeWine has a long-standing record of public service to Ohio that has given him enormous respect on both sides of the political aisle in this state,” Mauk said

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT.   The only people in this state that respect DeWine are complete fucktards.

I will be voting against DeWine no matter what.

If my option is a pro-gun NRA-endorsed democrat? Sweet.

Quoted: The NRA supported a democrat in my Congressional district in the last election, as well as Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader from Nevada. Gotta love the GOA with their low grades of just about everybody.  They probably would give the NRA a D-.  For them, a B is pretty damned good.

Yup, Reid supported the expiration of the AWB and the bill to stop frivolous lawsuits against gunmakers

Quoted: While DeWine is certainly no friend of gun owners, Chaffe is far, far worse. If the NRA is successfull in ousting DeWine, they really should find and endorse a suitable RKBA candidate to oppose Chaffe. It wouldn't matter to me if the person was Rep or Dem.

+1

Quoted: Quoted: Good for them.  If they don't do something like this once in a while (1) GOP'ers start to take the endorsement for granted and (2) pro-gun Dems give up on the endorsement/see less incentive to take a pro-gun stance against the party line. As loyal to the GOP as I am, I see the need for something like this. +1

+2

sends a good message

This picture says everything one needs to know about Dewine:

A vote for Dewine is a vote for Feinstein's anti-gun agenda.

Within the past month or so I have received 3 phone calls from the state and national GOP asking for money.  I told them each time that when the get Senators that represent ME, they will receive my support and not as long as either DeSwine or Voinobitch remain in office.  

When the national solicitor tried to beg off by saying that they did not have anything to with state races, I told him that I did not care, and that he needed to pass my message on to someone that did and that GW wasn't that much better.  (Sound of phone slamming).

Quoted: Excellent news. My 2nd amendment support knows no party. In fact ONE of my Senators, (John Warner, Rino-VA) is just as bad as Feinstein!

I am glad the NRA is more concerned with the constitution rathern than party line politics. Glad to be a member.

Quoted: This picture says everything one needs to know about Dewine: w3.gwis.com/~slomojoe/images/Dewine.jpg A vote for Dewine is a vote for Feinstein's anti-gun agenda.

Didn't he star in "Honey I Shrunk The Kids"?

Ryan got my vote last election. I would love to see him take De Swines place. In fact most of the republicans in this state are RINO's of the highest degree.

when DeWine was speaking up against the bill in the senate he mentioned that he was NRA backed but that after this it probably wouldnt last long.

i see that he was correct

It seems to me that Dems are much more likely to stick together. I don't trust them. The Reps on the other hand seem like a bunch of jellyfish that never stick together.

Hell yea. We don't want to become the blacks of the Republican party. Unless it is strategically important ot hold a majority wiht one or the other party, we should endorse the most pro-gun candidate; period.  

I always vote for the candidate rather than the party.

Do YOUR gun rights go to 11?