County GOP chair fails to get own county endorsement for Ohio congressional run
The chairman of the Clermont County Republican Party is running for Congress ‒ but didn't get the endorsement of the party he leads.
In an eight-hour meeting that started Monday night and stretched into early Tuesday morning, the Clermont County Republicans endorsed assistant Clermont County prosecutor and concrete company owner David Taylor for the open congressional seat to succeed Rep. Brad Wenstrup.
Clermont GOP Chairman Charles Tassell confirmed to The Enquirer via text at 2 a.m. that Taylor received the endorsement of the county party. Tassell and Taylor are among at least eight Republican candidates seeking the nomination to run for the 2nd Congressional District.
Tassell said he will likely step down as party chair but will continue his congressional campaign.
"The key is, when the party endorses someone, the party resources should be behind that someone," Tassell told The Enquirer. "I’m not supporting that person."
Taylor says endorsement shows 'momentum'
Tassell said he and Taylor were the top two vote-getters who advanced to a second round of voting where Taylor won the endorsement at about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Tassell, on Tuesday morning, said he didn't remember the vote total.
"That late in the night many of my supporters had gone home," Tassell said. "It is an attrition issue."
The meeting wasn't open to the media, so it wasn't immediately clear why the party chose Taylor. Taylor released a statement praising the decision.
“I am honored to receive their endorsement and look forward to earning the support of the voters on March 19th," Taylor said in a statement. “Over the past few days, our campaign has quickly gained momentum and support. That continued last night with the endorsement from the Clermont County Republican Party.”
Wenstrup, in November, announced he would not seek reelection in 2024 so he could spend more time with family.
The Clermont Republicans had many candidates to choose from. The open seat Wenstrup is vacating has sparked a flurry of interest among potential GOP suitors in the 2nd Congressional District, which stretches across 15 counties from Clermont County just east of Cincinnati through southern Ohio.
Where is the district?
The sprawling district runs from Cincinnati's suburbs in the west to West Virginia in the east, covering most of southern Ohio. Almost all of the counties are considered part of Appalachia.
The district covers all of Clermont, Clinton, Pike, Adams, Brown, Highland, Ross, Scioto, Pickaway, Hocking, Vinton, Jackson, Lawrence, Gallia, and Meigs counties, as well as a portion of Fayette County.
What is the district like politically?
It is the most Republican district of Ohio's 15, based on the 2020 presidential race results. President Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by about a 3-to-1 margin.
Wenstrup himself beat his most recent Democratic challenger Samantha Meadows in 2022 by the same margin.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who the Clermont County Republicans endorsed for Wenstrup's open seat
