Seventeen years after interning on Capitol Hill, James Brodbelt Harris '92 hopes to return not as an intern, but as a congressman. Harris, who interned for Representative John R. Kasich (R-Ohio) the summer after his freshman year at Dartmouth, will run in the 2006 Republican primary for the congressional seat of the 18th district of Ohio. He will square off against six-term incumbent Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who is currently embroiled in the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Abramoff has said that Ney accepted various gifts, including an expensive golfing vacation to Scotland, in return for political favors.
Harris said he hopes to capitalize on Ney's situation by presenting himself as a fresh and authentic candidate. He has also criticized Ney for his votes against the party line.
"I'm taking the fight to him because he hasn't voted the way that he should vote," Harris said. "If it were one issue that would be fine, but on several important issues he goes against the party."
Although he has never held political office, Harris comes from a long line of prominent Ohioans dating back nearly 200 years. The most famous Harris, Andrew L. Harris, was a general in the Civil War, served as the governor of Ohio and was William McKinley's running mate in his bid for the presidency.
Harris' platform centers on improving his district's economy, partly by making the Bush administration's tax cuts permanent and restraining government spending.
"The people of the 18th district of Ohio need to choose whether to accept the economic stagnation of the 'rust belt' to the east or the economic growth and free market economy of the metropolitan Columbus area," Harris said.
Because he grew up on his family's farm, Harris believes that he has a unique understanding of the state's rural population and compared farming to creating a favorable economic situation for his district.
"What you need are the right elements, good soil, rain and sunlight. You need to weed out all the stagnating plants and ground cover to allow your crops to thrive and the green canopy to achieve sunlight and photosynthesis," Harris said.
The 18th district of Ohio, the largest in the state, wraps around the city of Columbus and is predominantly rural. Although the district is typically Republican, The Cook Political Report currently lists the district as a Republican toss up, meaning that the general election is extremely competitive and both the Democratic and Republican nominees have a good chance of winning the race.
Harris, who was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity, graduated from Dartmouth with a double major in English and History after spending only three years at the College. He currently works as a Certified Financial Analyst and operates his own investment firm, Harris Investment and Property, in central Ohio.
Correction Appended
For the Record: An article on Tuesday (Harris '91 hopes to unseat incumbent," March 7) should have attributed James Brodbelt Harris as a member of the Class of 1992, not 1991.
