Voinovich to retire

Posted: Sunday, January 11, 2009 7:45 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Republicans, 2010

From NBC’s Chuck Todd
NBC News confirms that Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich will announce tomorrow he intends to retire after his term expires in 2010.

He is the third GOP senator to retire in a month, following Florida's Mel Martinez and Missouri's Kit Bond. Also, Kansas GOP Sen. Sam Brownback is widely expected to run for governor in 2010, rather than seek re-election, meaning the minority party already is set to defend four open seats.

A tough start to the new year. The openings created by Voinovich, Bond and Martinez are all in the most hotly contested battlegrounds in the country.

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Comments

BURRIS IS COUNTING ON THE "RACE CARD" WINNING FOR HIM!

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Worked for Obama.

Pa Kettle, KS (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 8:15 PM)

Voinovich. Yet another RINO. Good to see his type going extinct.

No RINO Crossing (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 8:16 PM)

Oh goody, another seat for the Democrats to grab. The Republicans are in such trouble so several are retiring at the end of their term or go down to defeat. It looks better if one resigns rather than be defeated.

eagle1776 (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 8:18 PM)

Not surprising ... Voinovich's inability to get other senators to support the auto industry completely discredited him politically. He was a seat filler and a yes-man for Southern Republcians ... just like Norm Coleman. He should retire ...

John Franklin , Chicago, IL (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 8:36 PM)

yea,yea, we really need to know this story!will someone please tell the obama admin that the dying middle class need real help. how about a one time stimulus check of 52,000 for all the tax payers that have paid taxes their entire lives and are now having the screws put to us. it would cost a fraction of the bank bailout(that we don't even know where the funds went except to paulson and his buddies) and do a hell of a lot more good. here's an idea, next time the collectors call tell them to take your share out of the bailout money. they've gotten the bailout money and still going to collect on all the bad debts so they're getting paid twice over. great work if you can get it!

leon houston (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 8:59 PM)

Defend four seats from who? Russia? Iran? China? If it comes down to defending those seats from fellow Americans, then there is something really wrong with the Washington mindset. What they are "defending" is the political power to screw the other party,to push them around and play games with their heads. THEY ARE ALL ELECTED BY US TO WORK FOR US AND THE COUNTRY. It's not a game of who's on top. Whoever gets the seats...I hope and pray they don't like to play stupid games.

Joe Sepeda,Early,Texas (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 9:00 PM)

George Voinovich.....perfect example of the Peter Principle.

Mike, Akron, Ohio (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 9:18 PM)

no surprise... Rebup rule like rome burning is history

wilky (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 9:33 PM)

All Republicans that were enablers of the worst administration in the last 50 years should resign immediately. That is the best service they could do for their country.
The damage that they helped to inflict upon this country due to pure partisan politics may never be repaired. They should all retreat in disgrace.

chuck Tulsa, Ok (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 9:42 PM)

Obama, Pelosi, and Reid; DO NOT SCREW THIS UP!
The GOP is bending over and grabbing their ankles right now so if you lose seats in '10 then you only have yourselves to blame.

Chris Seattle, WA (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 9:46 PM)

Sen. Voinovich is a very decent guy. He was a great Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio Governor and now Senator. But he kept a very low profile in his Senate years. I thank him for his service and wish he and his family the best.

Robert Rodman, Homerville, Ohio (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 10:03 PM)

Voinovich is an example of the endangered species "Moderate Republican". Soon there will be none left and the party will be taken over by kooks from the religious right. The Republicans had better take a good road map of the wilderness with them. They are going to be there a while and will need it. The country is changing rapidly and the Republicans have put their party in reverse and stepped on the accelerator.

Mark, Columbus, Ohio (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 10:24 PM)

I would love to see Tim Ryan run for this seat. He's young, ambitious, intelligent, and more than qualified.

William, North Ridgeville, OH (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:04 PM)

I won't miss Kit Bond, dumb drunk republican. Hopefully now that Missouri has a Democratic governor and a Democratic senator we can send another Democrat to the senate.

MO democrate (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:08 PM)

Senator Voinovich's retirement is no loss to the state's veterans. He has failed to champion the concurrent receipt of veterans disability and military retirement benefits, staying silent instead. One can only conclude by his inaction that Voinovich favors the "Disabled Veterans Tax".

Pat (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:18 PM)

It is time for Voinovich to call it quits. I feel he has been ineffectual, if anything, bored. Let OH be represented by some young blood; with agendas, enthusiam, and guts.

Stephanie, OH Snowbird, AZ (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:20 PM)

Add to that Hutchison likely running for Gov in TX, and you're up to 5.

Michael (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:21 PM)

Republicans are evil people anyway. The fewer the better.

Chris, Charlottesville, VA (Sent Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:25 PM)

What did the commentators at bannination dot com have to say about this development?

Roger Tesseract (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 12:06 AM)

One of the few Republican politicians I trusted and the only one I voted for (when I lived in Ohio) although I didn't agree with him on a number of issues. He got Democrat votes for years because he was honest first, fiscally conservative too. He got black and white votes. He was not the Sarah Palin type. Quite the opposit. If Republicans want to grow the party they should look to George as an example.

mexed, san antonio, texas (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 12:08 AM)

Dems pick up at least two seats

Chris, Boston, MA (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 12:16 AM)

The rats are jumping off the sinking ship that is our country. When will they make republicans pay reparations to the rest of us for the hole they've put us in? They should have a different tax rate, and their apologists at Faux News and AM hate radio included.

Jo Storrs, Mays Landing NJ (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 12:39 AM)

Though I am a die hard Democrat I cannot look past what Sen. Voinovich has done for the state of Ohio. With all the scandal that has gone on in the past few years in the state Sen Voinovich has kept a politically clean nose with over 40 years of service to the state. I wish the family man good health for him, his wife and kids. Thank you Mr. Voinovich.

Nicholas Andrew Pearson; Orlando, Florida (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 1:13 AM)

Best of Luck Senator-You will be missed by Democrats and Republicans and me.

Ramesh Manghirmalani (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 2:34 AM)

The rats are deserting the sinking ship. Or to put it into word they understand, "As you sow,so shall you reap." The Republican party has distroyed this country and now that the bill has come due, they are leaving it to the Democrats to clean up the mess. I only hope that in years to come, the American people will never forget the greed, corruption and utter contempt for the Constitution shown by the Republicans.

raremare Olympia Wa. (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 3:11 AM)

Thank goodness, now let's just get a few more potential seats in the old confederacy and we might stand a great chance of getting iur country's dignity back.

Cynthia Hamilton, Spokane, WA (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 7:18 AM)

One thing at a time, shall we? The democrats will be in no position to contest these seats unless they show that they are capable of accomplishing something in these next two years.

Why, oh why, have these past few weeks made me wonder whether they can do that? Sigh.

Anna Molly (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 7:38 AM)

WHAT PANTY-WAISTS! AFTER THEIR VOTES THIS COUNTRY TO ITS KNEES, THEY BSIL-OUT ON RE-ELECTION, SO AS TO NOT FACE THE VOTERS FURY AND NOT DEFLATE THEIR ENORMOUS EGOS. THEY NEED TO FOLLOW BUSH-CHENEY, ETAL. INTO HELL!

TOM TYSKIEWICZ, FOREST HILLS, PA (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 7:58 AM)

As Democrats, my husband and I echo the comments of thanks for public service from this moderate Republican.

R. Tracewell, Arlington, Ohio (Sent Monday, January 12, 2009 10:56 AM)

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