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Joyce Beatty to run in new congressional district
December 02, 2011
By Columbus Dispatch by Joe Hallett
Joyce Beatty, an Ohio State University vice president and former state lawmaker, plans to seekthe Democratic nomination for a new Franklin County congressional seat.
Beatty was unavailable, but her husband, Otto, confirmed today that she plans to run, settingup a potentially hotly-contested Democratic primary that also is likely to include state Rep. TedCeleste and former U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy. Other Democrats also are mulling bids for the newseat.
Although 16 newly draw congressional districts enacted by the Republican-controlled OhioGeneral Assembly face a potential referendum challenge from Democrats, Secretary of State JonHusted has advised congressional candidates to file their candidacy petitions by Wednesday.
The GOP-drawn map creates a new congressional district the 3rd District wholly containedin Franklin County, including much of Columbus. The district strongly leans Democratic, with about28 percent of its population African-Americans.
Beatty, who is black, served in the Ohio House from 1999 to 2008, including as minorityleader. She left the legislature to take a $320,000-a-year job as OSUs vice president for outreachand engagement.
Kilroy was congresswoman for central Ohios 15th District from 2009-11, but was defeated forre-election by Republican Steve Stivers. Celeste was elected to the Ohio House in 2006 and is inhis third term.
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