Radical animal rights groups have made very strong inroads among Ohio"s congressional delegation in recent years. Of the incumbents facing the voters tomorrow in Ohio"s 18 congressional districts, only one " 8th District Rep. John Boehmer " can be counted on to consistently support the rights of dog owners. In comparison, voting records show that six other Ohio incumbents are clearly among the animal rights groups" army of camp followers. The rest of the candidates either do not have a track record, or have received mixed reviews.
Primary elections for Congress are troublesome for dog owners, because few candidates make their positions known on animal rights and wildlife issues. For the most part, what we have to work with during the primaries are the incumbents" voting records endorsements by interest groups, and possibly some voting records of challengers if they have held previous state or federal offices. Most voters simply will have no way to know how most candidates stand on these issues.
However, voting records can tell dog owners whether we should support an incumbent, or if perhaps we should look elsewhere for a congressional candidate to support.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) analyzed the public information on Ohio candidates so that dog owners might be able to make intelligent choices based on candidates" positions on animal rights. ASDA fights for the rights of sporting dog owners and professionals nationwide, and is very active with Ohio issues. Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org.
Ohioans looking for the best candidate for the House of Representatives will have a difficult time sorting through the choices, because few of the candidates have track records on animal rights issues.
Some choices are clear, however. Unfortunately, most of the clear choices are negative, as radical animal rights groups have won strong allies among members of Ohio"s congressional delegation.
In the 1st District, incumbent Rep. Steven Chabot (R) has been a loyal supporter of radical animal rights groups for 14 years. In 2006, Chabot won an enthusiastic endorsement from the Humane Society of America (HSUS), an organization that is trying to eliminate dog owners, breeding and hunting.
"In order to pass humane laws, we need humane lawmakers like Representative Chabot.," said Richard Patch, political director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "Voters in the 1st District who care about animal welfare should support his re-election."
Dog owners and professionals might see that endorsement as a good reason to look elsewhere for their representative. The National Animal Interest Alliance Trust (NAIAT), an organization that works to protect the rights of animal owners, gave Chabot a zero rating.
In the 3rd District, incumbent Rep. Michael Turner (R) also has a record of strongly supporting animal rights legislation, and working against the interests of animal owners. NAIAT also rates him zero. Turner got 70-percednt ratings from the HSUS and the equally radical Fund For Animals.
Dog owners in the 8th District, however, can rejoice at the support given to their rights by incumbent Rep. John Boehner (R). NAIAT, which works for animal owners" interests, gave Boehner a perfect score " 100%.
Not surprisingly, the animal rights groups aren"t fond of Boehner. HSUS has given him ratings of zero and 14-percent, and the Fund For Animals also put him at 14-Percent.
In the 9th District, however, animal rights radicals have found a heroine, in incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D). For 2005-2006, three animal rights groups rated her a solid 100-percent. She scored zero with animal ownership advocacy groups.
To match their heroine, animal rights groups found a hero in the 10th District in incumbent Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D). Over the past several years, Kucinich has been given straight 100-percent ratings by five different animal rights groups. On the side of dog owners, the NAIAT rates him zero.
Another Republican, 14th District Rep. Steven LeTourette, can be counted as solidly among the animal rights allies. He got 100-percent ratings from HSUS and Fund For Animals. Animal advocacy groups gave him a zero.
But the Democrats get back in the animal rights Buddy Squad with 17th District Rep. Tim Ryan. Ryan scored 100-percent from three animal rights groups, including HSUS, and zero from the NAIAT on our side of the fence.
Several other Ohio congressmen/women have mixed ratings from the animal rights lobby, and cannot be fairly singled out on this issue without further research and clarification.
The American Sporting Dog Alliance (http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org) is the unified voice of sporting dog owners and professionals. Your membership and support truly will matter in helping us to help dog owners to preserve their rights and the traditions they love. We are supported solely by the contributions of our members.
Ohio Dog Owners' Congressional Voting Guide
