The Power 100: Poll Results
Three years after their party took over Capitol Hill, Northeast Ohio’s congressional Democrats are striving to gather power while longtime Republicans cope with declining clout by calling on established relationships.
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Sen. Sherrod Brown
Brown is emerging as one of the Senate’s leading liberals, especially influential on health care reform: He was part of the Team of 10 picked to create a compromise bill this fall. He’s quietly added momentum to Northern Ohio’s fights against corruption by nominating the prosecutors who put Nate Gray in prison as U.S. Attorney and a federal judge.
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Sen. George Voinovich
Washington is a lonely place for a budget hawk these days, especially one who’s in the minority and a year from retirement. His long fight against gambling in Ohio may have ended when the casino issue passed. But back home in Cleveland, Voinovich’s endorsement of county reform gave the issue his elder-statesman’s credibility.
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Rep. Tim Ryan
The young congressman has gathered clout quickly, thanks to a close relationship with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A seat on the appropriations committee helps him bring home plenty of earmarks. Ryan even got involved in choosing the new Western Reserve Port Authority director. He’s reached far beyond his district to champion a “Tech Belt” initiative that’d connect Cleveland, Youngstown and Pittsburgh.
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Rep. Steve Latourette
Although he’s in the minority now, lots of Northeast Ohio officials and businesspeople still consider Latourette their go-to guy in Congress. Thanks to relationships he forged when Republicans controlled the House even people outside his district turn to him. He can still influence Democrats because of his bipartisan friendships (though he’s gotten cranky about health care reform). |
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Rep. Betty Sutton
She’s still finding her voice, but Sutton became a player in ethics reform in her first term. Her Cash For Clunkers bill sparked a nationwide car-buying craze and new work for Mittal Steel’s Cleveland plant and GM’s Lordstown plant.
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Rep. Marcia Fudge
One year into the job, Fudge has a long way to go before she attains the local clout that Stephanie Tubbs Jones held. But other black elected officials already look to Ohio’s only African-American congressperson for direction.
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Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Kucinich is busy protesting the Afghanistan war and taking an all-or-nothing stand for single-payer health care — at the expense of local influence.
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