Editorial: Chabot could face toughest reelection test yet in Landsman

Editor's note: The Enquirer editorial board extended invitations to both Steve Chabot and Greg Landsman to meet in person for a candidate interview prior to the Nov. 8 election. Landsman accepted the invitation, while Chabot did not.

The differences between the two candidates vying for Ohio's 1st Congressional District couldn't be more stark. Incumbent congressman Steve Chabot has been in Washington for 26 years, while Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman offers a fresh face and new approach to representing the people of the district.

During a debate last month, Chabot described Landsman as the "least impressive" candidate he's faced in his many years running for office. But because of the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, which now includes all of the city of Cincinnati, a Democratic stronghold, Landsman might pose the toughest reelection test yet for Chabot.

Why Steve Chabot could win

It’s looking like a wave election. Even though Ohio's 1st Congressional District is now much more Democratic than it used to be, state and national polling suggest this is going to be a very good year for Republican candidates. While a decent Democratic candidate could carry the district in a typical year, this is not a typical year.  A +8 Biden district in 2020 may well translate into a narrowly Republican district in 2022.

Incumbency matters. Chabot has served as a Cincinnati area congressman since 1994. That’s a lot of parades and chicken dinners. Over the years, he’s helped a lot of constituents and built name recognition. He may not be flashy, but voters know him well. And in a very Republican year, they may decide to give the old war horse one more run around the track.

Chabot has helped bring federal dollars for infrastructure projects in Ohio. However, he did not vote for the recently passed infrastructure bill. He also worked with Democrats during the pandemic to create the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped small businesses survive government-mandated closures while continuing to pay their employees. The program was credited with saving millions of American jobs.

Chabot has a reputation for running tough, if not nasty campaigns, that include political ads attacking his opponents. If he gets reelected, it will be in part because some of those ads portraying Landsman as an extreme, corrupt, defund-the-police, tax-and-spend puppet of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stuck with voters.

Chabot focused on the issues that matter most to voters.  On the campaign trail and on the airwaves, Chabot is focusing on inflation and crime. Those are two issues that are at the top of voters' concerns this year.  Voters may reward him for staying focused on the issues they care about most.

Why Greg Landsman could win

It’s a new district. The newly drawn district includes all of the city of Cincinnati. While the GOP-friendly Warren County is still in the district, Cincinnati’s western suburbs − a Chabot stronghold − are now represented by U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson.  It’s a much more Democratic district than it used to be and that may be enough to make the race one of a few bright spots for Democrats in an otherwise tough election year.

It’s time. Chabot has served in Congress for 26 of the last 28 years. He’s the last congressperson standing from the historic wave election of 1994 that brought Republicans into power for the first time in decades. Voters in the new district may decide it’s time for a new face in Washington.

Independent voters concerned about threats to democracy could find Chabot's vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election and his continued insistence that there were voting irregularities disqualifying and turn to Landsman, who has made this one of the focal points of his campaign. Backlash from the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, could also play a factor in a Landsman victory.  Although other issues are at the top of voters' minds in most polls, a massive amount of spending has put abortion front and center in this congressional race. Democrats are hoping that the focus on abortion motivates Democrats to show up at the polls and attracts enough support from suburban women voters to send Landsman to Washington.

Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge writes this on behalf of The Enquirer's editorial board, which includes Editor Beryl Love, Senior News Director of Content Jackie Borchardt and community board members Jackie Congedo and Mack Mariani.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Editorial: Chabot could face toughest reelection test yet in Landsman