“Ken is a dedicated problem solver who has never backed down from a challenge, from his service to our country to his work at a disaster relief organization that trains and employs other veterans. Ken has built a strong, accessible campaign that puts the people of Ohio’s 7th Congressional District first, rather than the powerful special interests, and he is well positioned to win in November” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Amanda Sherman, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: May 8, 2018
RE: The Case Against Rep. Bob Gibbs
When it comes to doing his job and standing up for the people of Ohio – Rep. Bob Gibbs is missing in action. From avoiding in-person town hall meetings to voting to take health care away from over 30,000 Ohioans, Gibbs has repeatedly voted in lockstep with the Washington Republican establishment and failed to represent the needs of the people who elected him.
While Gibbs is doing all he can to ignore Ohioans and their needs, Ken Harbaugh has been traveling to communities across Ohio’s 7th Congressional District to hear from seniors, workers, and families about the challenges they face. As a former Navy pilot and President of Team Rubicon Global, an organization that deploys veterans to help respond to natural disasters, Ken has proven he will show up and fight for what is right.
The people of Ohio’s 7th Congressional District are sick and tired of not having a true representative in Congress, and Ken Harbaugh will show up and do the work that Bob Gibbs repeatedly fails to do on behalf of his constituents.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Headline: GOP congressmen in Ohio lay low amid town hall push [WDTN, 2.22.17]
“Gibbs’ challenger, veteran Ken Harbaugh (D), has proven to be an excellent fundraiser, and there are some whispers that Gibbs may be more endangered than one might expect in a northeastern Ohio district that Trump carried by nearly 30 points.” [Sabato Crystal Ball, 4.26.18]
Rep. Bob Gibbs: Establishment over Ohio
Ignores Ohioans
Canton High School students held a town hall meeting on gun violence – Bob Gibbs was nowhere to be found. When the American Legion hosted a candidate forum, an empty chair sat in Gibbs place on stage. When constituents who were scared about the future of their health care wanted to have a public meeting to share their thoughts on the health care bill – Bob Gibbs was once again a no-show and his constituents had to resort to protesting his office to voice their concerns. When the people of his district need him to listen, Bob Gibbs simply isn’t there.
Failed to Protect Ohioans Health Care
When it came time to vote on the deeply unpopular health care bill, Bob Gibbs ignored concerns from scared constituents and warnings from Ohio’s Republican Governor John Kasich about the negative impact that the bill would have on Ohio and voted for the bill. By following Paul Ryan and Republican leadership, he supported a bill that would have resulted in the loss of health care coverage for 30,700 people in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, raised their premiums, imposed an age tax on seniors, and done nothing to lower the price of prescription drugs.
Puts Party Over Ohioans
If Bob Gibbs’ isn’t taking on the tough fights for the people of Ohio, what is he doing in DC? The answer seems to be that he does whatever Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership tells him. Gibbs votes with Republicans 97% of the time and with Paul Ryan 91% of the time. The people of Ohio’s 7th Congressional District are tired of coming in second to Washington, D.C., Republicans; they want a representative who will put them and the country over petty party politics.
THE PATH TO VICTORY
The people of Ohio’s 7th Congressional District don’t want a representative who is beholden to party bosses and partisan politics. They want an advocate like Ken Harbaugh who has proven he will take on tough fights for the people of Ohio.
Ken has put together an impressive campaign operation powered by grassroots support, outraised Bob Gibbs every quarter since declaring, and become the first challenger in OH-7 history to reach $1 million raised. Ken has also been endorsed by local unions, veterans organizations, and local community leaders.
As Ken’s operation has gained strength and momentum, Gibbs has done what he does best: turned to party bosses to bail him out. Instead of raising more money or meeting with voters, he turned to the Ohio Republican Party who desperately intervened in the Democratic primary. Ultimately, they failed miserably, and will face Ken Harbaugh, who won a decisive victory.
Ken Harbaugh has a record of service to our country and community, and gives the people of Ohio a much-needed alternative to their current representation from Bob Gibbs, who is blindly loyal to his party instead of his constituents. Gibbs clearly is not ready for the tough challenge ahead.