Sharen and Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland

It’s been another busy few days for Sharen as she crisscrosses the 7th district talking to voters about her message of change.  

On Thursday evening the Clark County Democratic Women’s Issues Group hosted a reception for Sharen at a beautiful farm just outside of Springfield.  Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland was the guest of honor, and spoke about how we need more women in leadership, and how Sharen’s the right choice for the Ohio 7th. 

Friday night, along with Ohio 20th House District candidate Nancy Garland, Sharen dropped by Whitehall Yearling High School Football’s home opener against Beechcroft.  The Ram’s didn’t pull it out, but Sharen was really excited to see the game - and we see the same potential the Dispatch talked about in Saturday’s coverage.

Sharen and campaign volunteers at Habitat in Springfield.

Saturday morning, Sharen and about ten staff and campaign volunteers from all over the Clark and Greene County areas gathered in Springfield to volunteer at a Clark County Community Habitat for Humanity build site on the southwest side of Springfield.  In the years since it’s inception, Habitat for Humanity International has built more than 250,000 houses worked wide, and provided than 1 million people in 3000 communities, affordable, sustainable housing.   Sharen and the volunteers spent the day helping to finish walls, doing roofing work, and working on insulating the new house.   One of the goals of the local Habitat for Humanity  chapter is to build their new homes using highly efficient insulation and heating and cooling systems.  This helps the new home owners keep energy costs low - something that’s good for the planet, and for families who’re just struggling to get by.  For more about Habitat, or to volunteer, visit the link above.

Sharen and Fairfield County supporter Ami Williams speak to office opening in Lancaster.

Sunday, after attending church services in Xenia, Sharen spoke at the opening of two Campaign for Change offices in Fairfield county.  In Pickerington, folks can visit the campaign for Change office on E. Columbus St. in Olde Pickerington.   In Lancaster, the Campaign for Change/Fairfield County Young Democrats have a huge space on N. Columbus St in beautiful, historic downtown Lancaster.   Sharen talked about how in these difficult times, we not only deserve better than we’re getting from Washington, we demand better.

Four Days.  Four Counties. 345 Miles. 

72 Days Left.  It’s time for a change.

The Lancaster-Eagle Gazette covers Tuesday’s forum in Bremen.

Sharen issued the following statement on the tragic loss of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic and unexpected passing of Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

“Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was a remarkable woman, a warm and caring friend, and a strong voice for people of Ohio.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with her son, her extended family and her friends. She will be greatly missed.”

Rep. Tubbs Jones, the first African American woman elected to Congress from Ohio, was a strong supporter of Sharen Neuhardt’s campaign, and the guest of honor at a Cleveland area reception for Sharen on Monday August 18^th 2008. She passed away unexpectedly  yesterday.  She was 58.

Sharen and Rep. Tubbs Jones, Monday Night, August 19th 2008.

The highly respected Cook Political Report writes on Sharen’s race late last week:

Ordinarily, a popular retiring GOP member like Rep. Dave Hobson would have no trouble passing the baton to his chosen successor in a Republican-leaning district like this one. And make no mistake, Republican state Sen. Steve Austria is the favorite to hold the seat. But there are a few reasons to pay some peripheral attention to the general election race between Austria and Democratic attorney/political neophyte Sharen Neuhardt.

First, while Austria has served as a reliable Republican vote in the Ohio legislature for almost a decade and his wife worked for Hobson, not everyone is enthusiastic about his candidacy. A February Dayton Daily News endorsement of Austria ceded that Austria lacks Hobson’s “tough independence of mind and political incisiveness” and would likely “settle into a long, long career of keeping people back home happy, while remaining on the congressional back benches.” Privately, some GOP operatives also complain Austria is a lackluster campaigner.

Second, this district could experience some spillover effects from the generic message-heavy advertising likely to saturate the Columbus media market in the final months of the race. The 7th CD takes in portions of both the Dayton and Columbus markets, including a small slice of Democratic-leaning Franklin County.

As promised, video of Sharen on the trail this weekend …

Sharen spent another busy day on the campaign trail today, meeting voters and talking to them about her plans to put us back on the right track.  We’ll have video (maybe without last week’s technical difficulties) as soon as possible, but we figured you’d want the rundown now.

We started the day in Springfield, with Sharen and a group of dedicated volunteers knocking doors to help get her message out.  

After a few hours of canvasing, it was off to North Hampton for the Clark County Democratic Party’s annual Truman Kennedy Picnic.  Sharen spoke with a number of Clark County residents about the campaign, and everyone’s really very excited.

Leaving the T.K. Picnic, Sharen headed over to Circleville for the Pickaway County Democratic Party’s Hog Roast.  The crowd at the cabin just east of Circleville was great and so was the hog - volunteers had been up all night tending the smoker.  Sharen spoke the the crowd, as did Rich Cordray, Democratic candidate for Ohio Attorney General, Ray Pryor Democratic candidate for Ohio’s 85th House District.

Sharen then headed back to Springfield for the new Springfield High School Athletic teams introduction where she met local athletes, their parents and supporters.  

Two counties. 189 Miles. 80 days left.

Welcome to the new Neuhardt for Congress campaign blog.  Here, you’ll learn about Sharen’s campaign, about the issues facing the voters of Ohio’s 7th Congressional district, and about how Sharen will ring a fresh face to Congress next year. We’ll also keep you up to date on happenings around the district, and post from the trail.

Real change is about ideas - and we want yours. Let us know what you think.  and we’ll look forward to your thoughts and comments.