John Mitchel, former Air Force officer, is seeking the 7th Congressional District seat. He will be the sole challenger in the Republican primary to first term incumbent Steve Austria. Mitchel is not new to politics. He challenged Bob Taft for governor in 1998, and George Voinovich in the 2004 Republican primary when he received more than 195,000 votes.
In response to the announcement, Mitchel said, “America is at the abyss, and we are not far from the point of no return. Since 1983 we have had a series of career politicians representing the 7th Congressional District including Mike DeWine, Dave Hobson and Steve Austria. It’s time for that line of succession to end.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mitchel stakes out what he says are three irreconcilable differences with the incumbent: His passion for government reform, term limits and tax reform, specifically the FairTax.
“It all starts with government reform. Recall the 1994 Contract with America when the Republican caucus drafted a bill that declared Congress must live by the same laws as the people. That was a virtual confession that 435 congressmen and women were operating outside the law, but nothing changed,” commented Mitchel. “It’s time to bring citizen legislators to Washington; term limits and a tax code that is fair, simple and pays the bills will help make that happen.”
At A Glance:
Name: John Mitchel; Age: 62
Education: USAF Academy graduate; MBA, Michigan Tech, masters degree in economics, Wright State University
Career: Air Force Lieutenant Colonel; served more than 22 years as instructor pilot and in the defense acquisition corps; currently systems analyst at Wright Patterson AFB
Top issues: Government reform, term limits, tax reform