Cleveland Plain Dealer - 4 Democrats may join race for Brown's 13th District seat

(Cleveland Plain Dealer)

4 Democrats may join race for Brown's 13th District seat

The race to succeed U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown has quietly begun, with the potential stable of candidates including a former congressman and a shopping center heiress.

So far, at least four Democrats are seeking the 13th Congres sional District seat or consider ing it.

Tom Sawyer, former Akron mayor and 16-year congressman, said "I'm in it" during a recent interview. Sawyer said that whoever wins the Democratic primary will be the new congressional representative.

Former State Rep. Wayne Jones, chairman of the Summit County Board of Elections, is another Democrat strongly considering a run for the seat. He said Sawyer's entry into the race would not affect his decision.

Capri Cafaro of Youngstown, the wealthy daughter of a mall developer, is another possibility. Spokesman Vic Rubenstein said, "She is actively being encouraged, she is actively considering it, and she is actively talking about it."

Cafaro was soundly beaten in her first quest for public office, when she tried in 2004 to unseat Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette from his 14th Congressional District seat. That district includes Lake and Ashtabula counties.

Democrat Ted Kalo, a Lorain County commissioner, said he also might enter the race.

Brown has said he will run for the U.S. Senate next year, which means his 13th District will be an open seat in the 2006 election.

Nearly anything can happen in politics, but the meandering district is deemed by many to be a Democratic seat. The district stretches south from blue-collar Lorain through working-class Brunswick and then east and farther south to include parts of Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and the western half of Summit County.

The district includes a small tier of Republican-leaning suburbs in southern Cuyahoga County, but the bulk of it lies in Lorain and Summit counties. While President Bush carried Ohio in the 2004 election, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry handily beat him within this congressional district.

Alex Arshinkoff, chairman of the Summit County Republican Party, said the GOP will field a credible candidate and expects the race to attract some national attention.

"I think the Democrats they have come up with so far are beatable," Arshinkoff said. "Everybody who has a wart, those warts will be on the front page and on television. I think it's going to be a humdinger."

So far, no well-known Republicans have said they will run. Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart said he won't enter the race and expects it will be a tough seat for a Republican to win. Lorain Mayor Craig Foltin, another Republican, is undecided.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

sluttner@plaind.com, 1-800-628-6689