Latta faces 2 challengers in GOP primary

WASHINGTON — When U.S. Rep. Bob Latta ran in a special election last year for a congressional seat, he knew if he won, he’d have a tight turnaround before he was on the ballot again.Latta, a Republican from Bowling Green, is doing just that, seeking election to a full term, first in a primary against two GOP challengers, Columbus Grove resident Michael Reynolds and Perrysburg resident Scott Radcliffe.“We anticipated from day one when we filed for the special election we’d be [on the ballot again] in 363 days,” Latta said. “We were sworn in on Dec. 13 and had petitions filed three weeks and a day later for the primary.”Latta won a bruising Republican primary in November and then a special election in December to fill the 5th Congressional District seat after U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor died from a fall Sept. 5.Neither Reynolds nor Radcliffe ran in the special election; Reynolds was disqualified from running in the special election after problems with his petition and Radcliffe was serving his second tour in Iraq with the Army.Radcliffe, 28, has received attention from the media reporting on Iraq War veterans now running for office.Veterans issues, including needs of soldiers while and after they serve the country, are important to him and would remain a priority for him. He also supports encouraging growth in small business through tax policies, lowering the corporate tax rate, and making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent.“We could use some stronger leadership in that seat,” Radcliffe said. “I was trained for that and had those skills sharpened in combat. We need a strong voice advocating for this district.”Reynolds, 57, is concerned about job loss in the region.“I want to bring jobs back to the area, high-paying jobs,” Reynolds said. “I’d also like to see health care revamped. We’re paying a lot in and not getting much back.”Reynolds also advocates a federal sales tax on everything but food and medicine, and eliminating the income tax. A 7 percent sales tax would save money of workers, raise more than an income tax, and stabilize business costs, he said.Latta, 51, is focused on the economy of the country and the district, saying the recent stimulus package passed by Congress will help.“Tax rebates will go to taxpayers, disabled veterans and senior citizens and it will give incentives to small businesses to make investments and increase hiring,” Latta said.He also remains concerned about national security and said the Democratic leadership is stalling on terrorism surveillance legislation.“We’ve got to get this done to protect America from further terrorist attacks,” Latta said.