Is Pryce right?

By Michael Edwards
Contributing Writer
Union County Post

It's been said politics is a contact sport. Nationally, Democrats need a net gain of only 15 seats to take over the 435-seat House of Representatives. Currently, there are 231 Republicans to 201 Democrats, with one independent and two vacancies. Democratic Party officials are looking to gain yardage by targeting junior GOP lawmakers or perennial incumbents in swing districts, including Ohio.
Seven-term Congresswoman Deborah Pryce's 15th Ohio Congressional district seat is among the 21 that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have targeted to take back from the Republicans on November 7.
The 15th District of Ohio includes a portion of northeast Columbus near I-71, but primarily the northwestern quadrant of Franklin County, in addition to Madison County, and Union County. Cities and towns include all or part of: Columbus, Dublin, Worthington, Upper Arlington, Grove City, Groveport, Hilliard, Amlin, Plain City, London, West Jefferson, Grandview Heights, South Solon, and Marysville. A Democrat has not represented the 15th District since Robert Secrest in 1964.
Pryce was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1993, filling a seat vacated by Chalmers Wylie. Pryce serves as the chairman of the House Republican Conference, which makes her the fourth-highest-ranking member and the highest-ranking Republican woman ever in the House of Representatives. Pryce also holds the title of Deputy Whip. In this role, she gauges the support of fellow Republicans for legislation on the House floor and works with other members of leadership to shape strategy on issues.
Pryce says her record shows that she is a strong advocate for health issues and the protection of women and children. Pryce is a long-time proponent of adoption and serves on the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. She led an effort in Congress to expand and make permanent an adoption tax credit to make the process more affordable for families. She also recently worked to secure funds for physician training at children's hospitals, including Columbus Children's Hospital. Additionally, she has also authored laws to require drug companies to test drugs to determine their effectiveness in children and to improve palliative care for children with terminal diseases.
Pryce believes the best way to strengthen the economy and create new jobs is by cutting taxes to spur growth in the private sector.
In her first election in 1992, Pryce won in a three-way race receiving slightly over 45 percent of the vote. Between 1994 and 2002, Pryce won with at least two-thirds of the vote in each election.
In the 2004, Pryce won the general election with 62 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mark P. Brown. She had previously defeated Brown in the November 2002 election.
This November, Pryce will face Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy in what is shaping up to be a hotly-contested race. In the last presidential election, voters in the district gave nearly equal support to President George W. Bush and the Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004, suggesting the district is not as Republican as many assumed. As a result, the fight for Pryce's seat is in the national spotlight.
" This district is split 50-50 between Bush and Kerry. Since then, voters have become much more disenchanted," said Mary Jo Kilroy, Pryce's Democratic challenger. "Voters in central Ohio, like the rest of the country, want to see change," Kilroy added that Pryce has voted the party line with Bush 88 percent of the time.
A spokesperson from Pryce's campaign dismisses the notion that serves as a 'rubber stamp," citing how Pryce supports abortion rights and has openly opposed Bush on immigration issues and stem cell research.
Kilroy served eight years on the Columbus School Board before being elected to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. Kilroy received her law degree from Ohio State University and is currently a partner in a private practice firm, Handelman and Kilroy.
Pryce is a 1973 graduate of The Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Capital University Law School. Pryce was an administrative law judge for the Ohio State Department of Insurance from 1976-1978. From 1978 to 1985, she worked for the city of Columbus, Ohio, first as an assistant city prosecutor, then as a senior assistant city attorney, and finally as an assistant city manager. From 1985 to 1992, Pryce was a judge in the Franklin County Municipal Court, ending as presiding judge.