Landing Page
Special Projects
This story is part of a series of specially designed stories that represents some of the best journalism The Post has to offer. Check out the rest of the special projects here.
11/7/2018
With about 98 percent of precincts reporting, Republican incumbent Steve Stivers won about 58.64 percent of the vote to reclaim Ohio’s 15th Congressional District seat, defeating Rick Neal Democratic challenger.
In Athens County, Neal received 63.11 percent of the vote, while Stivers got 34.47 percent.
Stivers will continue to represent the 15th district which holds 12 counties including the entirety of Athens, Clinton, Fairfield, Hocking, Madison, Morgan, Perry, Pickaway and Vinton counties and parts of Fayette, Franklin and Ross counties.
During his campaign, Stivers talked about reducing the cost of healthcare, expanding broadband access to rural areas and balancing the federal budget. Stiver passed legislation during his time in office which focused on growing the economy and creating jobs. Three of the bills he primarily sponsored became law. His most recent was H.R. 1900, a bill which created the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus.
Hannah Ruhoff | PHOTO EDITOR
Candidates for Ohio's 15th Congressional District in the U.S. House Rick Neal (left) and Steve Stivers (right) talk to each other before their debate on Oct. 22, 2018 at The Boat House Restaurant in Columbus.
According to a press release from Neal’s campaign, he called Stivers to urge him to stand up to the Republican party when President Trump demeans people and spreads fear around the country.
“I hope Steve Stivers will work with Democrats in Congress to bring real healthcare reform that lifts consumers and delivers healthcare to all Americans regardless of their income,” Neal said in the press release.
During a debate in Athens, the two candidates traded jabs at each other and disagreed on a lot of issues such as healthcare, the economy, civility and gerrymandering. The 15th District is one of many congressional districts in Ohio that are considered gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.
Stivers is also a Brigadier General in the Ohio Army National guard and the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Republican Party’s main fundraising arm for campaigns.
During the campaign Rick Neal and other state Democrats often criticized Stivers for his role as head of the NRCC. He said Stivers’ and the NRCC are a main reason why politics in the U.S. is so uncivil.
Stivers, who is also a founder of the civility caucus in the U.S. House, said that he encourages campaign advertisements funded by the NRCC to be fair and truthful but he can;t control the content of the ads.
David Pepper, the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, said it doesn’t make a lot of sense for someone who represents a struggling district to have a position like that.
Adam Rapien, Stivers’ campaign manager, said representing the district takes priority over being chairman of the NRCC. He said Stivers is able to do both jobs without sacrificing one for the other.
Despite losing, Neal narrowed the margin of loss compared to previous Democratic campaigns that ran against Stivers. In 2016, Democrat Scott Wharton lost by about 32.4 percent while in 2014 he lost by about 32 percent. In 2012, Democrat Pat Lang lost by 23.2 percent.
Many Democrats attribute these large margins of victory for Stivers to the fact that the district was gerrymandered in favor of Republicans after the Republican led government redrew the congressional districts after the 2010 census.
Stivers will be apart of the 116th congress of the U.S. With a projected Democratic majority, Stivers will find it more difficult to pass legislation than previous years. The Senate’s projected Republican majority makes it even more complicated to pass legislation.
Landing Page
This story is part of a series of specially designed stories that represents some of the best journalism The Post has to offer. Check out the rest of the special projects here.