Realtors, Republicans backing Democrat Micah Kamrass
Cindi Andrews and Chrissie Thompson, cthompson@enquirer.com 4:57 p.m. EDT September 22, 2014
Micah Kamrass(Photo: Photo provided)
Democrat Micah Kamrass of Sycamore Township has amassed support from Realtors and some elected Republicans in his Ohio House race against conservative Jonathan Dever.
The political action committees for the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors and Ohio Board of Realtors are backing Kamrass, a law clerk who's running for the 28th District seat left vacant by Montgomery's Connie Pillich. The endorsement joins support for Kamrass -- and opposition to Dever -- from a growing number of Hamilton County Republicans.
The district was drawn to favor Republicans, but Pillich, who's running for Ohio treasurer, has twice claimed it for Democrats. And with Republicans holding their veto-proof supermajority by just one seat, every tight Statehouse race matters, to both parties.
Mark Quarry, director of government affairs for the Cincinnati Realtors board, said endorsement committee members "just felt more comfortable with Micah."
The Ohio Board of Realtors PAC has endorsed only Republicans at the statewide level this year, including Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted and Auditor David Yost. Likewise, Republican Charlie Winburn is getting the group's nod in his Ohio Senate race against Democrat Cecil Thomas. "That was a slam dunk," Quarry said.
Kamrass attributed the endorsement to his reaching out to Republicans, Democrats and independents.
"People are really sick of politicians who won't work together," he said. "Our government has been buried in a pit of partisanship, and it's not really achieving things that people want."
Neither Dever nor Kamrass received endorsements from the Republican-leaning Ohio Chamber PAC and the Ohio Society of CPAs. Those groups overwhelmingly support Republicans.
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Realtors, Republicans backing Democrat Micah Kamrass