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Rematch in the 6th district?
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Johnson
Wilson
A rematch in November awaits U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, a Republican, and Democrat Charlie Wilson if they each win their party’s primary March 6.
Johnson of Marietta defeated Wilson of St. Clairsville, a two-term incumbent, in the 2010 general election.
In next month’s GOP primary, Johnson is challenged by Victor Smith of Waterford, a former military officer and engineer.
Wilson will face Cas Adulewicz of Steubenville, an attorney, in the Democratic primary.
After 13-plus months in the U.S. House, Johnson said, “Washington is broken. It’s a lot worse than I thought when I ran. It’s the partisanship, the gridlock. The American people are disgusted by it. I don’t think we do a good job of” building relationships between Republicans and Democrats.
Johnson said he has personally built relationships, including one with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th.
“We have disagreements, but we have similar thoughts” on issues such as economic-development projects in the Mahoning Valley, Johnson said.
During his 2010 campaign, Johnson criticized Wilson as a “Washington insider” pointing to his record of voting about 98 percent of the time with then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.
Johnson has voted about 93 percent of the time with current Speaker John Boehner, a fellow Republican.
When asked the difference, Johnson said his record “shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone because we came into the House of Representatives with a mission and a vision to stop the out-of-control spending and to pass job-creation legislation. That’s the type of legislation the speaker supports and I support.”
Wilson said his percentage is similar to Pelosi’s because “there are a lot of throwaway votes that didn’t matter [that increased the percentage.] It’s not uncommon for a lot of us to have high percentages with our party.”
But Wilson said he refused to vote for cap-and-trade when Pelosi asked him to do so on the House floor. He added that “Pelosi’s leadership was difficult for people like me.”
Wilson also said, “I don’t think Johnson stands for the policies that are good for the district.”
Johnson wants to repeal the health-care bill pushed through Congress by President Barack Obama.
The congressman said the law does and will continue to drive up the costs of health care. The only provision Johnson said he likes is the requirement that insurance companies not be able to eliminate coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
Wilson, who voted in favor of the bill, said there are many positives including the pre-existing condition provision, adults being able to keep their children on their health-care coverage until they turn 26 years old, free wellness testing, and filling Medicare’s “donut hole.”
But Wilson said, “There are a lot of improvements and changes that need to be done with this plan.” For example, Wilson said the mandate that everyone have health insurance should be “adjusted.”
Adulewicz said the health-care bill needs to be revamped, but didn’t provide specifics in a questionnaire he submitted to The Vindicator. He also declined to meet with newspaper editors and reporters for an endorsement interview.
Adulewicz wrote on his questionnaire that he is running for office because “all attorneys have an obligation to do public service, and now that I have the time, I will follow that obligation.”
Smith didn’t respond to repeated attempts by The Vindicator to contact him by mail and telephone and didn’t respond to a candidate questionnaire.
Comments
Wilson "I don't think Johnson stands for policies that are good for the district" What did you do to help the district? You voted with Pelosi everytime. What did she know about our Valley? I'll tell you, NOTHING! Johnson has my vote, I don't want another rerun by good old boy Charlie.
Redeye, I think I remember you posting about how you're voting down the Poland levy. Doesn't that put you in Ryan's district?
I'm pretty sure that Canfield is now in Ryan's district, so I won't be voting in the 6th anymore. Not that I mind it much, I never really liked Wilson, but I was embarrassed to have someone like Johnson.
300, WHY are you embarrased with Johnson?
You seemed to side with Wilson in the past now you "never liked him" --which is it??
I thought Wilson was too conservative, and I think Cap and Trade is actually a sound plan.
I voted for him twice, and I would vote again for him over Johnson.
I don't like Johnson because I see him as corrupt. He spends an entire career as a government employee, then takes a job in the Defense industry. He's a living embodiment of the Military-Industrial-Political complex. Not to mention, he's not from this area, and has only lived here a few years (which he's already moved again for purely political reasons). And while he's deriding "big government", he's ignoring the fact that the 6th district is heavily dependent on entitlement spending, without it 30-40% of the families have no income.
Lastly, "never really liked him" and "never liked him" have different meanings. I never said that I never liked him.
300, so your against "career" politicians. Are you also against Hagan, Gerberry, that have been in local and state offices their intire careers? Are they also,as you put it, corrupt? Or is it OK because they are Democrats?
And when you say "really"never liked him does that now mean you do" like" him ??? Word games!!
Commoncitizen, I'm not going to teach you English. I get the impression that you lack specificity in your life, since you're having trouble understanding how "really" is used. If you think that's a word game, then your languages skills are sad.
I'm not a fan of Hagan, though I do like that he's brought attention to injection wells (but his views on fracking and that injection wells may cause earthquakes are unfounded. Still I don't think we should be pumping waste underground.)
I find Johnson to be disingenuous, since he's been a public employee practically his entire life, and yet he rails against public employees. He then uses his connections from the military to gain employment in the defense industry, which I find not only hypocritical but highly immoral as well.
As for career politicians, I wish there were term limits, but that's not how the system works. I feel the same way about career military. But, if they own up to it, and don't pretend to be anything other than what they are, I reluctantly accept it. Johnson, on the other hand, is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Not that any of that really matters now because I'm in Ryan's district.
Honestly, maybe those hillbillies down south deserve Johnson. I just hope that he follows through on his anti-entitlement rhetoric, and bumps a few thousand of those people off the government's dole. It always amazes me how it seems like those against entitlement spending are often those most dependent on it. I'd like to see a bunch of those from Wellsville or Stuebenville pay the price for their ignorance.
You should be proud to be in Ryan's district and out of your previous"hillbilly" district. You sound to be much to intellegent to be associated with them. (What an ego!!!!)
You're right, I share almost nothing in common with those living to South. Columbiana County's bad enough, but it's a paradise compared to what awaits you further down the river.
It's not so much an ego, it's just reality. That district is made up of primarily poor hillbillies. I'm not against us subsidizing them, they're human after all. I just find it ironic that so many of them don't realize that without government support they'd go hungry. It's ignorance, and there's no excuse for that.