Joyce Beatty Captures 3rd District Primary

Democratic voters in Central Ohio's new 3rd Congressional District sorted through a four-way race to choose a candidate for November. "Ladies and gentleman, I have the distinct honor of introducing to you the next congresswoman, Joyce Beatty," announced Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman. Coleman introduced 3rd district democratic winner Joyce Beatty to a crowd of about 150 at an East Main Street restaurant and bar. Flanked by her husband, Otto, the 61-year-old candidate beamed as she thanked a long list of supporters. "I come from a family that said to whom much is given, much is expected. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Beatty formerly served in the Ohio House of Representatives and more recently as a vice president at Ohio State University. During her primary victory speech she looked forward to the bigger task of possibly representing much of the city of Columbus on Capitol Hill. "It's about Central Ohio and Columbus, Ohio having someone who will have the courage of a Rosa Parks, someone who will be strong like of Shirley Chisholm and say, 'I am un-bought and un-bossed,'" she said. Beatty finished first in an unusual four-way race. She credited her campaign staff for reaching voters in various ways including knocking on doors, broadcast ads and the use of social media. In her third unsuccessful run for Congress, former U.S. Representative Mary Jo Kilroy lost by nearly 1,200 votes. Kilroy said Beatty has her support. "It is time for the democratic family, now that we have finished this primary, to come together around that candidate and to work hard this November to send her to Congress, to send Sherrod Brown back to the United States Senate and re-elect President Obama to the White House," Kilroy said. In what would be her first bid for the U.S. House, Kilroy lost in a very close race to incumbent 15th District Congresswoman Deborah Pryce in 2006. But Kilroy won the seat two years later, beating Congressman Steve Stivers who turned around and unseated her in 2010 by a close margin. Kilroy said it's now important for voters to rally around democrats, like Beatty, who are up for re-election. "It's going to be up to all of us to get involved in those campaigns, and to keep working hard for the kind of change that we believe in because there's still a lot at stake here," Kilroy said. Columbus City Council member Priscilla Tyson finished third. State Representative Ted Celeste trailed Beatty by more than 10,000 votes. As a member of the Ohio House, Celeste said he will now focus on completing his term. But he would not second guess running a positive campaign. "One of the things that we saw here in the state in the republican presidential primary side was all that negativity again, and I think that's not healthy for the country. Hopefully that won't be the same in the fall," Celeste said. Now that party voters have had their say in the 3rd Congressional primary, democrat Joyce Beatty faces republican Chris Long in the November 6th election.