Meet Dave Woolever, Candidate in Ohio Seventh

Dave Woolever is a small businessman running against Rep. Dave Hobson (R-Springfield) in Ohio's Seventh Congressional District. If all that sounds familiar, it's because Hobson has made noises about retiring.

Now he has an intriguing candidate ready to either run against him or his would-be successor. And it appears Woolever will be running hard. From the presser:

"For far too long, Representative Hobson has avoided a serious challenge for his seat. It is time that he be called to task for the bad votes and misspent money in Washington." Woolever says that the biggest issues facing seventh district voters are the war in Iraq, the economy, trade and homeland security.

"Hobson has been in the pocket of high priced lobbyists since he arrived in Washington,” Woolever said. “While he has been showered in their money, the special interests have been rewarded with a prescription drug bill that mainly benefited the big drug companies, handouts to big oil companies making billions of dollars of profits on the backs of his constituents, and policies that reward companies who move jobs out of our country."

According to his website bio, Woolever is a lifelong resident of Pickaway County -- one of the rural counties that round out the Seventh. He got some college credits and went to work in manufacturing, only to have his job NAFTA'd out in 1992. He got a second job at an RCA plant, then saw signs that it too would soon be gone (and by the way, he was right.)

He looks to be the kind of regular guy/economic populist candidate that has been doing well for Democrats in rural areas. Think Ted Strickland, John Tester, Heath Shuler. Too soon to say whether Woolever is cut from the same cloth, but the pattern is familiar. For instance, here is the conclusion to his website bio:

Dave is a member of the National Rifle Association, the American Motercyclist Assocation and the National Hot Rod Association. An active musician, he plays the guitar, piano and drums, he is also an avid motorcycle rider and a former muscle/antique car collector.

Dave has been a supporter of several charities including the American Cancer Society and Citizens for Clean Air and Water. As a former union member Dave is a proud supporter of organized labor.

And OK I have to say it. Regular guy or not I can't love the look. Dude. I just revisited the Eighties and they are seriously pissed that you won't give their look back.

Meaningless snark aside, it's good to see Dems taking on the race. If Hobson does indeed decide to retire, it should be interesting. Woolever's anti-Hobson talking points will translate well if Hobson's protege is tapped to take his place. Perhaps even better as he could then style it as a run against the machine. If Hobson is in, it's a tough fight for Woolever, but the RCCC will have a battle in a district that has been a gimmie for years.