House Editor David Wasserman releases rundowns for vulnerable seats in Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, and Wyoming.
OH-07
Ordinarily, a popular retiring GOP member like Rep. Dave Hobson would have no trouble passing the baton to his chosen successor in a Republican-leaning district like this one. And make no mistake, Republican state Sen. Steve Austria is the favorite to hold the seat. But there are a few reasons to pay some peripheral attention to the general election race between Austria and Democratic attorney/political neophyte Sharen Neuhardt.
First, while Austria has served as a reliable Republican vote in the Ohio legislature for almost a decade and his wife worked for Hobson, not everyone is enthusiastic about his candidacy. A February Dayton Daily News endorsement of Austria ceded that Austria lacks Hobson’s “tough independence of mind and political incisiveness” and would likely “settle into a long, long career of keeping people back home happy, while remaining on the congressional back benches.” Privately, some GOP operatives also complain Austria is a lackluster campaigner.
Second, this district could experience some spillover effects from
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