Cafaro plans to run for 13th District seat

Wednesday, January 8th

Steve Luttner

Plain Dealer Reporter

Capri Cafaro made it official Tuesday, when her campaign announced that she will indeed be a candidate for Congress again in Northeast Ohio.

The Youngstown shopping mall heiress was unavailable for comment, but her spokesman said Cafaro will hold formal announcements later this week or next week. "She wants a professional career in public service," said spokesman Vic Rubenstein. "Her number one priority is saving the jobs of workers."

Cafaro, 28, unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2004 when she tried to unseat Rep. Steve LaTourette in the 14th Congres sional District east of Cleveland. In this race, she will move west to the rambling 13th Congressional District, which includes large chunks of Lorain and Summit counties and smaller parts of Cuyahoga and Medina counties.

The race has attracted high interest from potential candidates because the incumbent, Sherrod Brown, is not seeking re-election and is running instead for the U.S. Senate. The district is generally regarded to be Democrat- leaning, though at least two Republicans are either running or considering a run.

If Cafaro is comparatively inexperienced in politics, she is undeniably wealthy. She has the potential to use her own consid erable money for the campaign. In her failed bid to beat LaTourette, she pumped more than $1.6 million of her own cash into the campaign.

"I believe she will spend whatever is necessary," Rubenstein said of the upcoming campaign. He said Cafaro has recently rented a home in the Lorain County community of Sheffield.

With the Feb. 16 filing deadline for candidates fast approaching, other Democrats have joined Cafaro in a bid for the congressional seat. Former Rep. Tom Sawyer, former State Rep. Betty Sutton and Akron attorney John Wolfe have said they are running.

Strongsville businessman Joe Ortega III said he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat. The winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries on May 2 will face off in the November general election.

Craig Foltin, the Republican mayor of Lorain, said he has not yet decided if he will run. He said he has been encouraged by local and national GOP officials to enter the race.

"If you would have asked me a week or two ago, inside I was saying No way,' " Foltin said Tuesday. "But I am hearing a lot of things from a lot of people. There are a lot of people who are pushing me."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

sluttner@plaind.com, 1-800-628-6689

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It's really scary that Capri Cafaro, with NO resume and a tainted family name was able to knock out a resepcted legislator in Ed Jerse from the DEM primary when she sought the 14th district seat in 2004.  Basically truckloads of money trump competence. 

The sad thing is it may happen again, as Sutton & Sawyer have their bases, but are unknown in significant parts of the district.  If all the other candidates are from Akron, voters in Lorain County won't think picking a Warren area native so strange. 

Although if the 13th District doesn't work out, Cafaro can always keep heading west and run for Congress from Hawaii.

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