« House Republicans Continue Blog Outreach | Main | Suitably Flip About The New York Senate »

Swingin' Back To A Swing State?

For the next few months, blogger Tim Tagaris will be working diligently to help Connecticut businessman Ned Lamont upset Joseph Lieberman in the state's Aug. 8 Democratic primary and, hopefully, take his seat in the U.S. Senate.

But Tagaris already is looking beyond Campaign 2006 to a potential campaign of his own in Ohio come 2008 or 2010.

Tagaris begins his new job as Internet outreach coordinator and official blogger with Lamont's campaign today. He took the post after a six-month stint at the blog of the Democratic National Committee. Before that, he blogged at Swing State Project and about the Ohio congressional campaigns of Sherrod Brown and Paul Hackett.

In an e-mail sent in response to my post about bloggers running for office, Tagaris said he eventually plans to return to Ohio and seek a seat either in the state House or U.S. House. "I'd guess I'm going to have to decide whether to work on a presidential campaign and run in 2010 or do it in 2008," he wrote.

Tagaris is considering either a congressional run in the 16th District, assuming current Republican Rep. Ralph Regula retires in 2008, or a state House run in the 52nd District. Tagaris said he probably would not seek an open congressional seat in 2008, but if state Rep. Jamey Healy seeks it instead of running for re-election in the 52nd, "it would make the most sense to run for 52 then."

If Healy instead waits to seek a state Senate seat in 2010, Tagaris said he would have to choose between campaigns that year for the 52nd state House seat and 16th U.S. House seat. That strategy assumes a Regula retirement and the election of a Republican to the 16th District in 2008. If a Democrat were to win an open race in the 16th in 2008, Tagaris said he would run for the state House seat in 2010.

Posted by Danny | 07:08 AM