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Published: Sunday, 5/4/2014 TUESDAYS BALLOT

BY TOM TROY BLADE POLITICS WRITER

The modern-day Tea Party rebellion is fueling much of the political combat on the primary election ballot Tuesday for Ohios Statehouse and congressional seats including several here in northwest Ohio.

After fielding no candidates in 2012, the statewide Tea Party group Ohio Citizens PAC says it is taking the direct route to political power after seeing what it contends is a drift toward big-government spending by the current Ohio GOP.

For five years, we carried their water. The Tea Party elected [Republican Gov.] John Kasich. Well, they forgot that real quick. When are they going to wake up and realize they need to work for us? asked Tom Zawistowski, president of the group, which is based in Portage County in the Akron area. He feels the conservative Republican voters are taken for granted.

The Tea Party tried unsuccessfully last year to take over the chairmanship of the Republican Party out of outrage over Governor Kasichs embrace of expanding Medicaid in Ohio, as allowed under the Affordable Care Act.

Last December we kind of like said, What the heck do we try to do next? We came to the conclusion that were never going to get the governance we seek until we put people who believe as we do in the chairs voting, Mr. Zawistowski said.

The PAC raised only $11,000 for this outburst of electoral activity against what it says is a $4 million budget from the Ohio Republican Party. Ohio Citizens PAC has endorsed 68 candidates around the state, including in House and Senate districts in this part of the state.

However, the Ohio Republican Party doesnt expect any of its endorsed candidates to fall to Tea Party-backed candidates.

We expect to win all of the races, said a confident Ohio GOP spokesman Chris Schrimpf. Our incumbents have very strong conservative records. They have the support of the party. Were confident were going to win these races.

Originally posted here:
Tea Party brings fierce challenge to GOP side