Chillicothe Gazette
March 28 2010
3 Dems running to face Schmidt
WASHINGTON — Two repeat candidates and a former contestant on "The
Apprentice" are duking it out in the 2nd Congressional District’s
Democratic primary.
David Krikorian, a businessman from Maderia, said he is in the best
position to oust two-term Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Miami Township
Republican, in the general election.
He won 17.7 percent of the vote as an independent candidate in 2008,
which Krikorian said shows he can draw both Republican and independent
voters. That could be important in a district that Republican
presidential candidate John McCain won with 59 percent of the vote in
the last presidential election.
"The overwhelming mood out there is anger, mistrust of the political
process and of the political parties," Krikorian said. "This race is
not so much about Democrat versus Republican but party politics versus
doing what is right for the country."
He added: "I am a strong fiscal conservative, and the 2nd District is
a very conservative district. I think people see me as someone who
would not be beholden to any political party."
On top of that, Krikorian has more than $150,000 in the bank for his
campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission. That falls
short of the $240,000 that Schmidt has on hand. No other candidate has
filed a report showing any funds raised.
Krikorian, who founded the entertainment card company Parody
Productions, has personal wealth that he can draw from, as does
Schmidt.
The two already have an adversarial history, so if Krikorian wins the
nomination, the negative rhetoric in the race could escalate.
Krikorian, who is Armenian, has blasted Schmidt for refusing to
support a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. Schmidt has
said that doing so is not the business of Congress and that it would
jeopardize U.S. relations with Turkey. She filed a complaint last year
with the Ohio Elections Commission over election material sent out by
Krikorian in 2008, claiming that she received "blood money" from the
Turkish lobby to oppose the resolution. She won the matter, and
Krikorian was reprimanded.
Krikorian faces the biggest challenge for the nomination from former
"Apprentice" contestant Surya Yalamanchili, who has been endorsed by
both Democrats who have previously run against Schmidt: Vic Wulsin and
Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett. He also has been endorsed by Cincinnati
Mayor Mark Mallory and former Reps. Charlie and Tom Luken.
Yalamanchili, who is running under the slogan "Vote Chili," moved to
Cincinnati eight years ago and bought a house in the East End to take
a job as a brand manager for Procter & Gamble. He took six weeks off
to go on Donald Trump’s TV show, then moved to California to become
director of marketing for Internet networking site LinkedIn.
He returned to Cincinnati, he said, because he wanted to change things
— to make them better.
"I was seeing middle-class people losing their jobs and their homes,
unable to afford health insurance, and felt like I had to do something
to help, given the success I have had," he said, adding that he
started campaigning as an independent, but was persuaded by local
Democratic leaders to enter the Democratic primary.
"People right now are very anti-incumbent, very anti-Washington," he
said, adding that his outsider status should help him in the race. "I
am not a politician. Not being a politician plays really well."
Frequent candidate Jim Parker of Waverly also is seeking the nomination.
Parker says his job as a health care administrator makes him the
candidate "who has the most experience in creating and saving jobs."
"Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are on the brink of disaster,"
he said. "Now, we are being told that Medicare fund will go bankrupt
in five years. This is serious, folks."
While both Krikorian and Yalamanchili said they would have voted for
the health care bill that passed Congress, Parker said he was opposed
to it.
"It does not lower the cost of health care, and it is full of pork and
backroom deals," Parker said.
One provision he would have added: "Free preventive medical care from
any hospital that receives Medicaid or Medicare funds," he said.
Yalamanchili said the bill is not perfect, but it’s better than doing nothing.
"I have a lot of problems with some of the provisions. But doing
nothing is not an option," he said.
Krikorian said after seeing the Congressional Budget Office analysis
of the bill that he would have voted for it because he was convinced
that it was fiscally responsible.
According to CBO, the health care bill will cost $938 billion over 10
years, with most of the cost offset by new fees and taxes. CBO
analysts estimate the legislation will reduce the deficit by $143
billion over 10 years.
None of the contenders in the Democratic primary has caught the
attention of the national Democratic party, which initially had backed
state Rep. Todd Book of McDermott in Scioto County before Book dropped
out of the race amid fundraising difficulties. According to Cook
Political Report, the region is considered a "likely Republican"
district, meaning that at this point none of the Democrats is thought
to be a strong enough candidate to topple Schmidt.
Contributing: Howard Wilkinson, The Cincinnati Enquirer
e/20100328/NEWS01/3280302
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress