Mary Jo Kilroy got to be the Democratic Party candidate for Ohio’s 15th District congressional seat without a primary — her challenger, Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks, dropped out eight months ago after being prodded into an exit by local party leaders, who thanked heartily for leaving Kilroy without a challenger in the primary. The advantage to Kilroy in the congressional race is clear: she didn’t have to spend any money or time declaring her case for representing Ohio’s 15th District to the residents of Ohio’s 15th District. Instead, she could just raise money. She doesn’t have say anything that might embarrass her or trip up her inevitability.
But what is the advantage to Ohio’s 15th District, where I live? Mary Jo Kilroy has made it clear since November of 2006 that she would run for Congress. Yet Mary Jo Kilroy’s website has absolutely no statements about her positions on political issues for voters in the 15th District to read and familiarize themselves with. Indeed, the Kilroy website has taken the very few words that actually exist on the campaign site (“As a Franklin County Commissioner, mother and wife, Mary Jo Kilroy shares our values.”) and rendered them as graphics so they cannot even found by a search engine. Kilroy seems to believe that it is her best strategy to not actually discuss any political issues if she wants to be elected, and without a primary challenger she hasn’t had to.
Mary Jo Kilroy’s campaign has sent me about a dozen letters and e-mails inviting me to events promoting Mary Jo Kilroy’s candidacy. In each and every one of those invitations, a sizeable donation is required for entry. Yesterday, for instance, I was invited to a reception at which I could pay $1,000 to attend with a small group from for one hour, or $500 to attend with a larger group in the following hour. My featured privilege of the evening would be access, if I paid $1,000, to share the room with Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, my representative in office. I have been informed of no events whatsoever at which I wouldn’t have to pay to attend. There are no public events listed on Mary Jo Kilroy’s campaign website either.
What a pleasant joy it is to be able to run for office as the unelected candidate. What a pleasant joy to only interact with people willing to give you money. What a pleasant joy to stay mum about political issues when running for political office. What a pleasant joy to stay comfortably secluded from the dirty, grubby little hands of the people you aim to represent. What a pleasant joy to avoid a democratic primary altogether.
