Members of Congress are very much like U.S. Supreme Court Justices, though they must run for re-election every two years their seats are oftened configured in such a way that they are their's for as long as they choose. So it's not often that a representative chooses to walk away but that's what Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci (R-16) decided to do earlier this year when he announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for governor instead of pursuing re-election.
"This is a safe Republican seat," said News 5 Political Analyst Tom Sutton of Baldwin Wallace University. "I think for all intents and purposes the next Congressman will be determined in that May primary."
Six months out the race took a shift Tuesday as State Rep. Tom Patton of Cuyahoga County who announced in July his intention to run for the seat announced that he was stepping out of the race to instead run for re-election to his state house seat.
"A recent and on-going family health crisis has forced me to re-visit my candidacy in OH-16," Patton said in a statement. "The time needed to campaign throughout the 16th District is extensive."
The release cited an unnamed poll that the campaign said showed Patton in the lead in the race.
Patton did not endorse any of the other GOP candidates which include State Representative Christina Hagan of Stark County who was a strong and early supporter of President Donald Trump; Army veteran Kip Seryak of Cuyahoga County and former NFL and Ohio State Wide Receiver Anthony Gonzalez.
In the latest Federal Election Commission fundraising totals reported at the end of September Gonzalez was ahead of the pack when it came to cash on hand reporting $612,000 to Patton's $247,000 and Hagan's $123,000.
Each candidate has their own strengths said Sutton. "Christina Hagan is more strong in the southern part, in the Wayne County area because that's what she represents as a state rep and she very much aligns herself with President Trump."
But it's Gonzalez who Sutton said was gaining momentum in the race. "Gonzalez comes in a former player for the NFL and especially for Ohio State and he's coming in with strong support a lot of money, Bob Gibbs the Congressman from the 7th district has already said he's endorsing him and so even though he's a political unknown he is making up for that and this is going to make for a very, very competitive primary," Sutton said.
And Sutton reminds that the filing deadline isn't until February 7, 2018 leaving plenty of time for another Republican candidate to still get into the race.
