OH-16: Once Again, Grassroots Donors Break Records for Boccieri

Schuring rakes in another $8,000 from oil industry

Thousands of small contributions have helped position John Boccieri to drive home his message of change for the middle class in the final weeks of this hard-fought race for Ohio's 16th Congressional District.

Boccieri enters the last 20 days of the campaign with $464,474.66 on hand, having raised $415,738.74 in the third quarter. The majority of Boccieri's contributions, both for this quarter and the whole of the campaign, have come in amounts of $100 or less.

Boccieri said today:

"Middle class families who have been ignored by Washington for too long are uniting behind our campaign for change. Working people are out knocking on doors, talking to their neighbors, and contributing whatever they can afford because they want a Congressman who will put their interests first."

Boccieri holds a strong cash-on-hand advantage over his opponent, Kirk Schuring. While Boccieri enters the final quarter with over $464,000 in immediately-available financial resources, Schuring has only $127,000 on hand.

As Schuring's support dwindles, he has become even more dependent on corporate special interests to bankroll his campaign. Schuring brought in more than $8,000 from the oil industry this quarter alone, raising his total from this interest group to roughly $30,000.

The Political Action Committee of ConocoPhillips, one of the world's six largest oil companies, donated $3,000 to Schuring in the third quarter after combined "big six" profits this past summer rolled in at a rate of $400,000 per minute. [Bloomberg, 8/1/08] Meanwhile, Americans are still struggling to afford record high prices at the pump.

But, that's not all...

Medina Sun Endorses Boccieri

"...has more detailed and well-thought-out plans to help the district"

On the eve of a major debate at the University of Akron's Medina Campus, the Medina Sun has endorsed Democrat John Boccieri in the race for Ohio's 16th Congressional District."A state senator, Boccieri has the intelligence and the background to make a fine U. S. representative, " the Sun wrote in an editorial today. "With the dissatisfaction with GOP leadership in Washington, we think voters are looking to make a change."

According to the Sun, the deciding factor in the endorsement was Boccieri's clear vision for the future of the 16th District, Ohio, and the nation. The editorial praised Boccieri's focus on creating local jobs, fixing unfair trade agreements, concluding America's massive military and financial commitment to Iraq, and reforming education.

After a comparison of the two contenders for the 16th District seat, Boccieri "has more detailed and well-thought-out plans to help the district," the editorial concluded. (Click here to read the full editorial.)

And, it gets even better...

The Cook Political Report has announced a change in the status of Ohio's 16th Congressional race on Thursday. The Report has changed Ohio's 16th Congressional District from "Toss-up" to "Lean Democratic."

Remember, we still need volunteers to work through election day to finish this race strong! If you would like to give some time to John, contact Chris at cccupples@yahoo.com or call Camp Boccieri at (330) 754-0534.