John Mitchel Withdraws from Ohio’s US Senate Race
It’s at his web site, dated Friday (Hat tip to the R-Rated Whistleblower, whose actual link for March 13 won’t go active until late Monday afternoon):
Today former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Mitchel withdrew from the US Senate race. In doing so he narrows the field to incumbent Mike DeWine and two challengers, Bill Pierce and David Smith.
Colonel Mitchel commented, “This was a difficult decision, but it was the right thing to do, however with two challengers still in the race, unless one withdraws soon, it’s likely the status quo remains in place. My primary reason for getting involved in politics almost a decade ago was to bring sanity to national defense and veterans issues. Way back then I was talking about illegal immigration, one sided trade deals that moved our manufacturing base, hard currency, and sensitive technology offshore, and a broken defense acquisition process that our Senators and House Reps were using more as a crutch to get reelected than serving our war fighters who offered up the supreme sacrifice to defend our liberty and freedom.
….. Mitchel added, “Although I do not plan to publicly endorse either of the two remaining challengers, Mr. Pierce and Mr. Smith understand which one I feel is best qualified to serve Ohio in the US Senate. But it’s up to Bill and David to decide if Senator DeWine will face an up or down vote in the primary. I believe voters are tired of Republican kingmakers and phony, self-interested endorsers calling the shots, and it’s time the citizens and the candidates themselves make those decisions.
My thoughts:
- Every Republican in Ohio owes Mr. Mitchel a debt that can’t be repaid, not only for his service to our country, but for fighting the good fight both in 2004 and in other races prior to that. Those who have viewed his underfunded efforts as quixotic just don’t get it. The fact is that he pulled 195,000 votes running against George Voinovich in the 2004 primary while holding down a fulltime job and spending very little money. This result was tangible proof that there is widespread dissatisfaction with the Republican Party’s anointed leaders, and with the management of the GOP in this state. It showed the tantalizing possibility that a principled, fiscally conservative candidate willing to put an organized fulltime effort into unseating a RINO in Ohio can succeed. Thank you, Mr. Mitchel (I didn’t notice anyone else actually acting on their frustration, did you?). Here’s hoping your next effort can be fulltime in nature in say, 2010, against a certain Senator with a strange proclivity for inappropriately tearing up.
- Of the two remaining candidates, only one challenger, Bill Pierce, is putting in the fulltime effort needed to defeat Mike DeWine in the GOP primary. That means only one challenger, Bill Pierce, has a chance. Why Mr. Pierce should be chosen over Mike DeWine will be the subject of a future post.
- The other challenger, who has no plausible shot at winning, needs to ask himself: “Do I want to wake up on May 3 knowing that my votes kept Mike DeWine as my party’s US Senate candidate, and that if he then wins in November, we’re stuck with him for six more years? I don’t know, maybe this other challenger will move on to yet another state in a year or so (he has recently moved around, and quite a bit), and he doesn’t really care what happens here. I hope I’m wrong.
___________________________
UPDATE: Bill Pierce himself has two very important questions for David Smith. We’d all love to hear the answers.
UPDATE 2, March 13: Atreides at Columbus Townhall said this morning that “At our public forum, Smith promised to step down in favor of another candidate with a clear chance at victory.” I am attempting to investigate this.
SMith doesnt care because he knows bob the bully bennett will take care of him for ruining this race. He knows he will get some payoff. Mr.Smith knows it, Bennett knows it. Mr. Smith is just a stalking horse, merely interested in being an insider. Other than that, he has only proven that he is a loser.
Comment by Mark — March 12, 2006 @ 6:48 pm
Bill Pierce needs to make major in roads in the next couple weeks to convince Smith to step aside. Pierce has a chance if the supporters of all three challengers get behind his candidacy early enough for people to take notice.
Comment by LargeBill — March 12, 2006 @ 7:01 pm
#2, Pierce is making remarkable progress, and in light of comment #1, which looks more plausible with each passing day, he’ll have to make even more. It’s more difficult, but still doable, even if Smith stays in.
Comment by TBlumer — March 12, 2006 @ 7:09 pm
[…] mith answers some questions. The challenge has been given. BizzyBlog has similar thoughts here. Other blogosphere reactions as I find them. Filed under: General, DeWine, Ohio Senate, Bill Pierce […]
Pingback by NixGuy.com » US Senate Update: Mitchel gets out, Pierce drops a glove — March 12, 2006 @ 7:54 pm
Maybe it’s just me, but I think he comes across as being somewhat whiny.
Comment by Mike — March 12, 2006 @ 8:34 pm
David Smith,
Do the right thing and drop out of the race now. You don’t have a snowball’s chance of doing anything except fragmenting Bill Pierce’s vote bloc and increasing Mike DeWhine’s election chances. Politicians are often viewed as heartless egomaniacs. Break that mold. Do what’s right. Drop out now.
Comment by Howard — March 12, 2006 @ 11:24 pm
#5, be on the lookout for an e-mail about that subject.
Comment by TBlumer — March 12, 2006 @ 11:25 pm
My comment about being whiny was referring to Mitchel, not Pierce. I should have been clearer.
Comment by Mike — March 13, 2006 @ 4:19 am
What Atreides said is true. We have video of Smith saying that he will back down. Further, we have written authorization from David Smith to diseminate this video as far and wide as we like.
Comment by Peter — March 15, 2006 @ 11:15 am
#9, thanks for the info, will pass on.
Comment by TBlumer — March 15, 2006 @ 11:16 am
If Pierce is gaining momentum then I need two questions answered:
1) Why has he not been able to raise any funds? Word is that Smith has raised more than 10K and it shows with website and materials.
2) Miami County Result: Pierce came in well behind Smith in this election which, given the population in Miami county is more representative of a general election. If Pierce is that far behind Smith, it seems to me that Pierce is the one with a snowball’s chance in hell of winning a primary against DeWine. If Pierce had as much momentum and electability as folks here seem to claim and considering that he has all his time to devote to this election, he SHOULD have been the clear winner of the challengers at this event.
Somebody needs to tell Pierce that his anti-Smith mantra only gives the appearance that he is playing catch up and he comes across so negative. Some one in the lead doesn’t have to look over their shoulder. Pierce should focus on DeWine, not on Smith if he’s the real deal.
Comment by Jackson — March 20, 2006 @ 1:20 pm
#11, you would have a point except for some inconvenient (to you) facts:
– Endorsements: Pierce - two wins and a tie;
– Smith - ZERO wins, one second.
– Pierce - raising money quietly
– Smith - claims to have raised $10,000 but has not managed to register as a candidated with the FEC as required by law (just checked at FEC, though I hate their search and could conceivably have missed it). Once you have $5,000, you have at most 15 days.
It’s been about a month since he said he had 10 grand on WLW. So either he’s lying about how much he’s raised and doesn’t have to register, which would DQ him on character (and BTW, if you’ve SPENT 5 grand, you have to register too), OR he’s raised the money and violated Federal Election Law, which would also be a DQ for being sloppy and/or slippery, especially for a financial guy like Smith.
Case, closed.
Comment by TBlumer — March 20, 2006 @ 1:38 pm