BY PAUL BARTON
Enquirer Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Their ranks include some of Congress' fiercest budget
hawks, a member of the GOP leadership, a lawmaker who worries about crumbling school buildings and another who has tried to slay the Internal Revenue Service.
Southwestern Ohio incumbents in the U.S. House represent a wide range of legislative experience, accomplishments and styles. All are running for re-election.
Two of them face serious opposition -- two don't.
Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, is battling Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls in the 1st District in a well-funded campaign that has drawn national interest.
Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville, is in a tough fight for the 6th District. His opponent, Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister, has attracted $400,000 in support from the Republican National Committee.
The other two congressmen face little opposition. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, represents the 2nd District, one of the most Republican metro areas in the country. His opponent is Charles Sanders, the Democratic mayor of Waynesville.
Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester, has token opposition from John Griffin, a Miamisburg farmer. Mr. Boehner is among the leaders in the GOP hierarchy.
As incumbents, the four enjoy certain advantages. They also have a record to be criticized and defended.
Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati
Age: 45. Committee Assignments: Judiciary, International Relations. First elected: 1994.
In Congress: Although only in his second term, Mr. Chabot has gained a reputation as one of the fiercest budget hawks in Washington, sometimes taking even more fiscally conservative positions than the House leadership. He routinely gets one of the highest scores in the Ohio delegation, if not the highest, from groups such as the National Taxpayers Union and Citizens Against Government Waste. In 1997, he was part of a "Rebel 11" group of lawmakers that temporarily held up the budget process because they didn't think GOP leaders were doing enough to cut spending and raise taxes.
Mr. Chabot is also a strong social conservative, routinely voting against abortion rights measures and the controversial partial-birth abortion procedure.
"What is striking is that he is doing it from a district that is not automatically conservative," said Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College, who has studied the Class of '94 closely.
More recently, Mr. Chabot has shared the national spotlight with other members of the House Judiciary Committee as the panel voted to hold impeachment hearings on President Clinton.
Mr. Chabot has opposed federal spending that could benefit his own district, including a light rail system and the B-2 bomber program.
Legislation: Most of Mr. Chabot's work has related to his position on the Judiciary Committee. He earned the National Association of Counties "Legislator of the Year Award" in 1997 for getting a provision passed that more evenly divides law enforcement block grants between cities and counties. Other measures he has worked on include restricting the access of federal prisoners to weight lifting equipment and the Internet -- the latter so that they could not sexually prey on children -- and tightening regulation on the importation of controlled substances from Mexico.
Other notable measures include a bill that passed the House this year to provide for television coverage in federal courts. Mr. Chabot was also a major player on bankruptcy reform legislation, serving on the House-Senate conference committee on the issue.
Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park
Age: 42. Committees: Ways and Means. First elected: 1993
In Congress: In five years, Mr. Portman has won a reputation as a prolific legislator, introducing -- or having key roles in -- numerous bills that became law. In the 105th Congress alone, he has seen nine bills on which he was major player get signed into law. In particular, Mr. Portman is known for working with Democrats to develop bipartisan coalitions behind measures.
With encouragement from House Speaker Newt Gingrich, he has also developed a model for community anti-drug coalitions that other House members have copied.
"I think he is considered by the House leadership as one of the key spokesmen for Republicans and an inevitable leader for the party in the next few years," said fellow Republican Rep. Rick Lazio of New York.
Legislation: Mr. Portman made his mark in 1995 when he led House members in passing legislation to keep the federal government from assigning responsibilities to states without providing funds for them -- the so-called "unfunded mandates" issue.
In 1996 and 1997, Mr. Portman co-chaired the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service, which led to major IRS reforms President Clinton signed into law this year.
He has gotten numerous anti-drug measures into law, including a provision in 1997 that would direct more of the current federal anti-drug budget toward community-based efforts.
Mr. Portman earned kudos from environmental groups this year with legislation to encourage countries in the tropics to do more to protect rain forests in exchange for relief from foreign aid debts. The president signed the bill into law.
Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester
Age: 48. Committees: Agriculture; House Oversight; Republican Conference Chairman. First elected: 1990
In Congress: Mr. Boehner enjoyed a rapid rise to his current position as fourth-ranking member of the House leadership.
He came into Congress in 1991 as part of a maverick group that tried to spotlight the excesses of the institution, pointing attention especially to the House Bank scandal.
His election to a leadership post in December 1994 surprised some. But Mr. Boehner, by all accounts, enjoys solid relations with the rank-and-file although he is known to have a bitter rivalry with a fellow member of the leadership, Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas.
An attempted coup by some Republican members against Mr. Gingrich in 1997 led some to point to Mr. Boehner as a conspirator, but he repeatedly denied any involvement.
This year, he filed the first lawsuit in modern history by one member of Congress against another in his federal case against Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash. It stems from an intercepted phone call among Mr. Boehner and other GOP leaders that was leaked to the national media.
Legislation: Mr. Boehner has been known most for helping to pass major items of the Republican agenda -- such as welfare reform and tax cuts -- rather than his own bills. However, he had a key role in shaping the 1996 overhaul of federal farm programs and this year was the House leader on a bill to revamp financial services. He got legislation passed last year to help college students consolidate their loans.
Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville.
Age: 57 Committees: Commerce Elected: 1992, 1996
In Congress: From the day he returned to Congress in 1997 -- after losing in the 1994 election -- Mr. Strickland has been obsessed with aiding the economically distressed 6th District.
"We are on a mission. The mission is to make sure that our part of Ohio gets the best possible representation and gets its fair share of resources," he said.
Mr. Strickland's position in one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country has brought extensive coverage this year by the national media.
The former college professor -- a pauper in personal wealth compared to most members of Congress -- aggressively contacts federal agencies to look for grants that can be sent home to his district.
Mr. Strickland has also brought federal education officials to Southern Ohio to impress them with the need for more resources from Washington to help local schools.
The House member did his own survey of local school conditions and found them "alarming."
Another passionate interest is health care, especially for children.
While Mr. Strickland supported the 1993 Clinton tax package -- which Democrats tout as playing a large role in producing current surpluses -- he has opposed the Clinton administration on many other issues, including trade agreements and partial-birth abortion.
Legislation: Led a successful effort in July to preserve 300 jobs at the Piketon uranium enrichment plant in Pike County as the federal government planned to privatize it.
Also has worked on numerous pieces of trade and labor-related legislation, including a bill to more tightly enforce the "made in U.S.A." label on manufactured goods.
