What a Race!

Kucinich Out in Ohio Primary

Rep. Marcy Kaptur to take on “Joe the Plumber.”

Two longtime members of Congress were forced to face off in a heated battle in Ohio after district lines had been redrawn. Well-known Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who made bids for the presidency in 2004 and 2008, was beaten out in the Ninth District by fellow Rep. Marcy Kaptur, another Democrat. Kaptur carried 94 percent of the vote in her home county compared with just 73 percent for Kucinich in his stomping grounds, with Kaptur winning four out of five counties in their contested district. Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress, is projected to take on Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber” from the 2008 campaign. Running in the primary as a Republican, Wurzelbacher led by less than 500 votes with nearly 90 percent of precincts reporting.