U.S. House, Ohio - 18th District
East -- Zanesville, Chillicothe
Race Forecast: Democrat Favored
2008: Rep.
2006:
Space, the successor to scandal-plagued Republican Bob Ney, would have had to fight hard for second term if the national political environment were more favorable to Republicans -- and if they had recruited a more viable candidate than Fred Dailey, who doesn’t have the campaign funds or the political statute to dislodge the incumbent from a mostly rural district in eastern and southern Ohio.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Rep. Zack Space, D
- First Elected: 2006 (1st term)
- Last Elected: 2006 (62.06%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: Democrat Favored
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
Ohio’s most geographically vast district, the 18th envelops 12 whole counties and parts of four others in eastern and southern Ohio. Beginning in the north, the 18th takes in the rolling hills south of Canton and runs southwest to rugged areas of Appalachia. The socially conservative district, which roughly parallels but does not touch the Ohio River, depends on steel and coal jobs and includes a large Catholic population of ethnic Eastern Europeans and Greeks.
The 18th’s most-populous county is Tuscarawas, which relies on agriculture and has some manufacturing. Newark (shared with the 12th) in Licking County is slowly becoming a research and manufacturing center. South of Muskingum County (Zanesville), the district narrows as it takes in Morgan County and northwestern Athens County, although Ohio University and Athens are in the 6th. Moving westward, the 18th remains rural as it crosses forests to take in most of Ross County, including Chillicothe.
The blue-collar 18th leans Republican, although Tuscarawas tends to be more Democratic and can push a Democrat to victory here, as it did in 2006 by giving Rep. Space 73 percent of its vote. Holmes County, to Tuscarawas’ west, is Amish country and is heavily Republican; George W. Bush took 75 percent of the county’s 2004 presidential vote. Coshocton County, south of Holmes, also generally supports Republicans. Bush took 57 percent of the 18th’s presidential vote in 2004 and won all of the counties that lie entirely within the district.
Major Industry
Steel, manufacturing, agriculture, coal
Cities
Zanesville, 25,586; Chillicothe, 21,796
Notable
Aviator Amelia Earhart called Zanesville “the most recognizable city in the country” from the air because of its Y-shaped bridge across the Muskingum and Licking rivers.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 630,730
- Under 18: 26.0%
- Over 65: 13.7%
- Married: 59%
- Non-Hispanic White: 96%
- Black: 2%
- Hispanic: 1%
- Asian: 0%
- Foreign Born: 1%
- Language other than English: 5.9%
- Median Household Income: 34,462
- Owner Occupied Housing: 74.3%
- Income above $200k: 0.9
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 46%
- Blue Collar: 38.3%
- Services: 15.8%
- Bachelor's Degree: 11%
- Graduate Education: 4.0%
- Civilian Veterans: 66,703
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Zack Space (D) | 147,506 | 59.1% |
| Fred Dailey (R) | 102,059 | 40.9% | ||
| 2006 | general | Zack Space (D) | 129,646 | 62.1% |
| Joy Padgett (R) | 79,259 | 37.9% | ||
| 2004 | general | Bob Ney (R) | 177,600 | 66.2% |
| Brian Thomas (D) | 90,820 | 33.8% | ||
| 2002 | general | Bob Ney (R) | 125,546 | 100% |
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 42% | George W. Bush: 57% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 42% | George W. Bush: 58% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
| Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEY, ROBERT W (R) | September 30, 2008 | $1,118.00 | $22,650.00 | $14,496.00 | |||
| NOY, NATHAN (R) | December 31, 2007 | ||||||
| MOLL, JEANETTE M (R) | September 30, 2008 | $135,514.00 | $135,514.00 | $118,532.00 | $6,777.00 | ||
| SULZER, JOSEPH R (D) | March 31, 2008 | $27,179.00 | $27,742.00 | $9.00 | |||
| SPACE, ZACHARY T (D) | November 24, 2008 | $2,265,157.00 | $2,008,900.00 | $161,250.00 | $1,079,136.00 | $283,963.00 | $5,106.00 |
| CAREY, MIKE (R) | September 18, 2008 | $15,078.00 | $15,102.00 | $9,780.00 | |||
| PADGETT, JOY (R) | June 30, 2007 | $12,746.00 | $14,184.00 | ||||
| DAILEY, FRED L (R) | November 24, 2008 | $390,773.00 | $382,726.00 | $20,500.00 | $305,383.00 | $8,044.00 | $37,700.00 |
| PHILLIPS, PAUL (R) | July 30, 2008 | $100,784.00 | $100,782.00 | $43,311.00 | |||
