COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With less than three months until the May primary, Ohio voters will soon have a chance to narrow the field in the hotly-contested race to replace retiring Senator George Voinovich. NBC 4 reached out to the four leading Democratic and Republican candidates.
On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is focusing on job creation. Pushing what her campaign calls an urban agenda, Brunner wants to use federal resources to create jobs in Ohio's cities. One Brunner plan is to train locals to upgrade HUD homes for energy efficiencies. Brunner also wants to see additional loan guarantees for Ohio's auto parts makers.
Her Democratic opponent, Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, also wants to help small businesses obtain loans so that they can invest in technology and hire more workers.
And Fisher has proposed a two-year job creation tax credit to reward companies that hire new employees.
Republican Rob Portman wants to redirect federal funds to implement a temporary payroll tax holiday. Portman's campaign spokesperson told NBC 4 he wants to suspend the payroll tax that employees and employers pay for an entire year, for up to $50,000 per worker. Under Portman's plan, if a worker earned more than $50,000, taxes would only be paid on the difference.
We called Republican Tom Ganley's campaign four times on Thursday, but did not hear back. Ganley's Web site lists jobs and the national debt among the issues he is prioritizing.
For additional information, stay with nbc4i.com and NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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