This morning, the non-partisan Cook Political Report shifted Ohio’s 1st Congressional District to “Toss-Up” from “Lean Republican.”
This shift comes after FEC reports showed that Kate Schroder nearly doubled embattled Congressman Steve Chabot’s Q2 fundraising – $624k to $310k.
Check out the full analysis of the race below:
OH-01: Steve Chabot (R) – Southwest corner: Cincinnati, Warren County
Toss Up. This Cincinnati district was a missed opportunity for Democrats in 2018 when Democrat Aftab Pureval’s bid against Chabot went up in flames amid a campaign finance scandal. Now Chabot’s former campaign treasurer is under a grand jury investigation for embezzling over $120,000 in campaign funds, and multiple Republicans are grumbling that Chabot should have retired rather than run for a 13th term.
Democratic Cincinnati health board member Kate Schroder has raised $1.4 million and may have the ideal profile to run in a pandemic (read our full evaluation here). What’s more, President Trump is likely behind in this suburban seat after carrying it by six points in 2016. In 2008, Chabot lost in a wave amid high Black turnout two years after Democrats took back House control. Today, he’s at risk of history repeating.
“Between her career as a public health advocate, deep ties to the district, and dominant fundraising, Schroder is building an organization that can take on and defeat embattled Congressman Steve Chabot,” said DCCC Spokesperson Sarah Guggenheimer. “In his 24 years in Congress, Shady Chabot has failed to deliver results for his constituents and has become everything that is wrong with Washington. Ohioans are ready for effective, fresh leadership, which is exactly why they’ll elect Kate Schroder this November.”
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