Part 3: Who’s Running? – Republican-held House Seats

Here are the final three races, which is a continuation of this post.
House District 79 (Western Clark County)
Kyle Koehler (R) – Koehler is taking another shot at elective office after narrowly losing a bid for Clark County commissioner in 2014. He is a Vice President at K.K. Tool Co. in Springfield, which is a family owned small business. He just received an unusual endorsement from former Democrat candidate Mike Walters, who was himself planning to run for the seat but dropped out of the race a few weeks back.
Darrell Jackson (D) – This race likely being the most competitive on the map for 2014, it has attracted more Democrat interest than the other GOP-held open seats. Jackson is a Sheriff’s Deputy in Clark County and already has the endorsement of the Clark County Democratic Party.
*Rumors are circulating regarding several other possible GOP candidates, so expect this list to grow.
House District 81 (Putnam, Williams, and Henry Counties and a portion of Fulton County)
Rob McColley (R) – McColley is an attorney and currently executive director for the Community Improvement Corporation of Henry County. He launched his campaign in August and quickly snatched up an endorsement from all three Henry County commissioners. While Henry County has a sizeable amount of votes, McColley will need to reach south into Putnam County in order to win.
Jason Rockey (R) – A Montpelier city councilman, Rockey is Williams County’s representative in this race. Like McColley, he also launched his campaign in August. He currently works for the Ohio Gas Company in Bryan, and has for 16 years. He will need to run a multi-county race as well in order to win this seat.
House District 85 (Champaign County and portions of Logan and Shelby Counties)
Nino Vitale (R) – Vitale is a marketing professional who currently works for Johnson Welded Products, a family manufacturing business in Urbana. This will be his first race for office in what is becoming a very competitive primary. Vitale is from Urbana, which is one of the population centers in the district, and that should help his candidacy.
Doug Chamberlain (R) – While Vitale will benefit from being from Urbana, the other population center in the district is Bellefontaine, which is where Judge Doug Chamberlain is from. A longtime attorney, Chamberlain was elected Logan County Prosecutor in 1984 and judge of the Logan County Family Court in 2004. His name recognition in the area will be a big help.
Robert Luckey (R) – Luckey has experience on a few political campaigns, and hopes to put that experience to good use as he attempts to make his own entry into politics. He resides in Sidney, which unlike Urbana and Bellefontaine, is not a dense area for votes and may pose a challenge in a crowded primary. That being said, the current representative from the district, Rep. John Adams, is also from Sidney.
Dave Easton (R) – Easton is a West Point graduate and veteran of the 101st Airborne Division. He has experience as an engineer, but has not held public office. Like Luckey and Rep. Adams, he also resides in Sidney.
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