Steve Driehaus
Encyclopedia
Steven L. "Steve" Driehaus (born June 24, 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio
) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. He previously served as the Minority Whip
in the Ohio House of Representatives
.
The district includes the western four-fifths of Cincinnati, as well as suburbs north and west of the city in Hamilton
and Butler
counties. He was formerly a four-term member of the Ohio House of Representatives
, representing the 31st District from 2001 to 2009. His Ohio State House district included western Cincinnati and all of Addyston
, Cheviot
, Cleves
and North Bend, Ohio
.
Driehaus, a 1984 graduate and class president of Elder High School
in Cincinnati (the same high school his father graduated from in 1951), studied political science at Miami University
while earning a B.A.
in 1988 and holds an Master of Public Administration
(M.P.A.) from Indiana University
earned in 1995. He served as a Peace Corps
volunteer in Senegal
where he worked with village groups and local schools as a natural resource
volunteer to promote sustainable environmental practices from 1988 to 1990.
Driehaus then served as Associate Director of the Center for International Education and Development Assistance at Indiana University. While serving in this role, he coordinated the South African Internship Program, which was sponsored by the United States Information Agency
that is the largest professional exchange program between the United States and the "new" South Africa
.
Driehaus formerly directed and now serves as a consultant to the Community Building Institute, a collaborative effort of Xavier University
and United Way & Community Chest that promotes citizen-led, asset-based community development. Driehaus is a member of the Price Hill Civic Club and serves on the Board of Seton High School. He was also a part time political science
instructor at Xavier University
.
Driehaus began his political career as an aide
for Cincinnati City Council Member Todd Portune
and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Luken
in the 1990s.
Driehaus served four consecutive terms. He served as Minority Whip of the Ohio House of Representatives from the beginning of his third term in January 2005 until he resigned from the position to be replaced by Fred Strahorn in December 2007 due to his campaign for the United States House of Representatives.
Driehaus took a leadership role on issues such as election law and redistricting reform. He also took issue with information privacy in the state. A fiscal conservative, Driehaus sponsored legislation to force a review of the billions of dollars Ohio foregoes in "tax expenditures."
Driehaus has been a highly regarded politician. The Cincinnati Enquirer
named him legislative "Rookie of the Year" during his first term. In 2008, the ARC of Ohio and the Ohio Association of Election Officials named him Democratic Legislator of the Year. He has a reputation as a pro-life
fiscal conservative.
, Sayler Park
and other parts of western Hamilton County. The incumbent, Jerome Luebbers, had surrendered his seat due to term limits. In the 2002 redistricting, Driehaus' district became the 31st district and surrendered many Republican constituents. Driehaus has served the 31st Ohio House of Representatives district, which has included wards 19–22, 25 & 26 of Cincinnati as well as Cheviot, Cleves, North Bend, and Addyston since the 2002 redistricting. This district is fully contained in the United States House of Representatives Ohio first district. It is also (along with districts 32 and 33) part of Ohio Senate
district 9, which encompasses the south central portion of Hamilton County.
Driehaus did not have an opponent in any of his Democratic primaries, and he earned at least 57% shares of the vote in each of his general elections for state legislature.
Driehaus had been the choice of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
(DCCC) to run in Ohio's first congressional district for the 2006 United States House of Representatives elections, but he decided to run for re-election in his Ohio House of Representatives seat. He had been elected as the Minority Whip of the Ohio House of Representatives, replacing Dale Miller
for the beginning of the 2005 session, in a November 2004 vote after being reelected to his third term. Driehaus survived his own challenge from Scott Gehring with a 2:1 victory margin in the 2006 election for his state house seat.
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Based on the 2000
and 2004 United States Presidential election
the district has voted 1% more Republican than the nation as a whole. The district is regarded as a Democratically shifting maturing suburban district that is expected to vote more city-like as it becomes more dense. The district was one of four Republican Ohio congressional seats that the party had targeted for takeover, but Chabot held off Cincinnati
Councilman John Cranley
by a 52% to 48% margin and the Republicans held on to three of the four seats.
Although Driehaus passed on the 2006 race, he began planning a run for the district in 2008 almost as soon as the 2006 election cycle ended. This was largely because he was barred from running for a fifth term in the state house.
Ohio's 1st district was very high on the target list for the Democrats in both 2006 and 2008. Seven-term Republican incumbent Steve Chabot
, elected in the Republican wave of 1994, had won the district consistently, but with varying margins. He had won the seat with less than 55% of the vote in four of his seven previous victories.
In previous elections, the 1st congressional district was hotly contested. It narrowly favored Democratic Ohio Governor Ted Strickland
and United States Senator Sherrod Brown
in 2006; and United States President George W. Bush
narrowly outpaced Democratic nominee John Kerry
by just 1 percentage point in the 2004 United States presidential election
. Driehaus was recruited for the race by Democratic party officials, and he received early contributions for this race from Nancy Pelosi
, Steny H. Hoyer, James E. Clyburn, and Chris Van Hollen
that were included in his 2007 second quarter financial filings. From the time of the first official announcement on May 3, 2007 and first financial filing deadline on July 15, 2007, the race has been closely watched in the national media, and Time
described it as one of the 15 Congressional races to watch in the 2008 election. The DCCC has named the district's race as one of the thirteen that it is supporting in hopes of ousting a Republican incumbent in the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections.
In the midst of the financial crisis of 2007–2010, especially the subprime mortgage crisis
, one of the issues in the race has been the candidates stances on foreclosure
s.
The race was considered to be close. As of October 14, 2008 (three weeks before election day), The Rothenberg Political Report considered the race to be a toss-up. A poll by Survey USA indicated that African-American turnout would probably determine who won the race. Although it was considered a marginally Republican district, 27 percent of the district's voters are African-American—one of the highest percentages for a Republican-held district in the 109th Congress. The district includes nearly all of Cincinnati's African-American voters. In the November 4 election, Driehaus defeated incumbent Chabot with 52 percent of the vote, largely on the strength of a 16,000-vote margin in Hamilton County. He was also helped by Barack Obama
carrying the district with 55 percent of the vote.
, as well as Libertarian nominee James Berns, and Green Party nominee Richard Stevenson. As Chabot was ahead in public opinion polls, the DCCC pulled its financial support for TV ads from the Driehaus campaign, indicating to Chuck Todd that they expected Driehaus to be defeated, which he was, 52% to 45%.
by H. Donald "Don" Driehaus and his wife Clare along with his seven siblings. His wife, Lucienne, their two daughters Alex and Clare, and a son, Jack, live in Price Hill, Cincinnati
and attend the Roman Catholic St. Teresa of Avila parish. His father, Don Driehaus, is a former Hamilton County Democratic Party Co-chairman. He was succeeded in the Ohio House of representatives by his sister Denise Driehaus
. Don died on September 21, 2008 at the age of 75. Driehaus's other siblings who survived his father were brothers Don, Joe, Jim, and Dan and sisters Dianne Brinkman and Cathy Allaben. He has twenty nieces and nephews as well as two uncles and two aunts who survived his father.
for allegedly publishing false information about his political positions on abortion and health care.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. He previously served as the Minority Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
.
The district includes the western four-fifths of Cincinnati, as well as suburbs north and west of the city in Hamilton
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
and Butler
Butler County, Ohio
Butler County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 368,130. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 fighting Indians in northern Ohio. Butler's army marched out of Fort Hamilton, where the city of...
counties. He was formerly a four-term member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, representing the 31st District from 2001 to 2009. His Ohio State House district included western Cincinnati and all of Addyston
Addyston, Ohio
Addyston is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,010 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Addyston is located at ....
, Cheviot
Cheviot, Ohio
Cheviot is a city located in west central Hamilton County, Ohio. The population was 9,015 at the 2000 census.- History :In 1814 a Scottish immigrant named John Craig purchased a half section of of Green Township from Elias Boudinot. He built an inn and tavern on the Harrison Pike. In 1818 Craig...
, Cleves
Cleves, Ohio
Cleves is a village, founded in 1818, along the Ohio River in western Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2000 census...
and North Bend, Ohio
North Bend, Ohio
North Bend is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 603 at the 2000 census.-History:President Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend. His grandfather, President William Henry Harrison is buried in the William Henry Harrison Tomb State...
.
Early life, education and career
Elder High School
Elder High School is a parochial all-male, college-preparatory high school in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The high school has been in existence for over 85 years and is a parochial high school within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati...
in Cincinnati (the same high school his father graduated from in 1951), studied political science at Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
while earning a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1988 and holds an Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
(M.P.A.) from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
earned in 1995. He served as a Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteer in Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
where he worked with village groups and local schools as a natural resource
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
volunteer to promote sustainable environmental practices from 1988 to 1990.
Driehaus then served as Associate Director of the Center for International Education and Development Assistance at Indiana University. While serving in this role, he coordinated the South African Internship Program, which was sponsored by the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
that is the largest professional exchange program between the United States and the "new" South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Driehaus formerly directed and now serves as a consultant to the Community Building Institute, a collaborative effort of Xavier University
Xavier University (Cincinnati)
Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...
and United Way & Community Chest that promotes citizen-led, asset-based community development. Driehaus is a member of the Price Hill Civic Club and serves on the Board of Seton High School. He was also a part time political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
instructor at Xavier University
Xavier University (Cincinnati)
Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...
.
Driehaus began his political career as an aide
Aide
Aide may refer to:* A person who assists another; an assistant. In military contexts; an officer who acts as assistant to a more senior one; an aide-de-camp.* Aide , a purported Basque deity....
for Cincinnati City Council Member Todd Portune
Todd Portune
Todd Portune is an American politician of the Democratic Party, who currently serves as a commissioner for Hamilton County, Ohio. Before holding that position, Portune was a councilman for the city of Cincinnati....
and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Luken
Charlie Luken
Charles J. Luken is an American politician of the Democratic party who was mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio and served in the Ohio's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Luken's uncle, labor leader James T. Luken, also served as mayor of Cincinnati...
in the 1990s.
Ohio House of Representatives
Driehaus took a leadership role on issues such as election law and redistricting reform. He also took issue with information privacy in the state. A fiscal conservative, Driehaus sponsored legislation to force a review of the billions of dollars Ohio foregoes in "tax expenditures."
Committee assignments
- Committee on Financial ServicesUnited States House Committee on Financial ServicesThe United States House Committee on Financial Services is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries...
- Subcommittee on Housing and Community OpportunityUnited States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community OpportunityThe U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services.-Jurisdiction:...
- Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and TradeUnited States House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and TradeThe United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services...
- Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsUnited States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsThe U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services.-Jurisdiction:The Subcommittee conducts oversight of the agencies, departments, and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction...
- Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
- Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs
Driehaus has been a highly regarded politician. The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily morning newspaper, is the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati (Ohio) and Northern Kentucky. The...
named him legislative "Rookie of the Year" during his first term. In 2008, the ARC of Ohio and the Ohio Association of Election Officials named him Democratic Legislator of the Year. He has a reputation as a pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
fiscal conservative.
Ohio House campaigns
In 2000, Driehaus ran for the Ohio House of Representatives from the 33rd district, which at the time included Delhi Township, Price HillPrice Hill, Cincinnati
Price Hill is a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, located north of Sedamsville and Riverside, south of Westwood and South Fairmount, and west of Queensgate. It is one of the oldest outlying settlements of Cincinnati, and includes parts of the zip codes 45205, 45238, and 45204.-Geography:Price Hill...
, Sayler Park
Sayler Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Sayler Park is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The neighborhood is known for its F5 tornado in 1974 during the Super Outbreak which killed three and demolished many homes.- External links :*...
and other parts of western Hamilton County. The incumbent, Jerome Luebbers, had surrendered his seat due to term limits. In the 2002 redistricting, Driehaus' district became the 31st district and surrendered many Republican constituents. Driehaus has served the 31st Ohio House of Representatives district, which has included wards 19–22, 25 & 26 of Cincinnati as well as Cheviot, Cleves, North Bend, and Addyston since the 2002 redistricting. This district is fully contained in the United States House of Representatives Ohio first district. It is also (along with districts 32 and 33) part of Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
district 9, which encompasses the south central portion of Hamilton County.
Driehaus did not have an opponent in any of his Democratic primaries, and he earned at least 57% shares of the vote in each of his general elections for state legislature.
2006 elections
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
(DCCC) to run in Ohio's first congressional district for the 2006 United States House of Representatives elections, but he decided to run for re-election in his Ohio House of Representatives seat. He had been elected as the Minority Whip of the Ohio House of Representatives, replacing Dale Miller
Dale Miller
Dale Miller is a former Democratic member of the Cuyahoga County Council, serving since January 1, 2011. He served in the Ohio Senate from 2006 to 2010, and in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1997 to 2006...
for the beginning of the 2005 session, in a November 2004 vote after being reelected to his third term. Driehaus survived his own challenge from Scott Gehring with a 2:1 victory margin in the 2006 election for his state house seat.
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
and 2004 United States Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
the district has voted 1% more Republican than the nation as a whole. The district is regarded as a Democratically shifting maturing suburban district that is expected to vote more city-like as it becomes more dense. The district was one of four Republican Ohio congressional seats that the party had targeted for takeover, but Chabot held off Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
Councilman John Cranley
John Cranley
John Cranley was a Democratic member of the city council of Cincinnati, Ohio and a partner of City Lights Development. John is a Harvard law school graduate and co-founder of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law....
by a 52% to 48% margin and the Republicans held on to three of the four seats.
2008 U.S. Congressional race
Although Driehaus passed on the 2006 race, he began planning a run for the district in 2008 almost as soon as the 2006 election cycle ended. This was largely because he was barred from running for a fifth term in the state house.
Ohio's 1st district was very high on the target list for the Democrats in both 2006 and 2008. Seven-term Republican incumbent Steve Chabot
Steve Chabot
Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:...
, elected in the Republican wave of 1994, had won the district consistently, but with varying margins. He had won the seat with less than 55% of the vote in four of his seven previous victories.
Ted Strickland
Theodore "Ted" Strickland was the 68th Governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ....
and United States Senator Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell Brown is the senior United States Senator from Ohio and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 2007...
in 2006; and United States President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
narrowly outpaced Democratic nominee John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
by just 1 percentage point in the 2004 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
. Driehaus was recruited for the race by Democratic party officials, and he received early contributions for this race from Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
, Steny H. Hoyer, James E. Clyburn, and Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen
Christopher "Chris" Van Hollen, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
that were included in his 2007 second quarter financial filings. From the time of the first official announcement on May 3, 2007 and first financial filing deadline on July 15, 2007, the race has been closely watched in the national media, and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
described it as one of the 15 Congressional races to watch in the 2008 election. The DCCC has named the district's race as one of the thirteen that it is supporting in hopes of ousting a Republican incumbent in the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections.
In the midst of the financial crisis of 2007–2010, especially the subprime mortgage crisis
Subprime mortgage crisis
The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis was one of the first indicators of the late-2000s financial crisis, characterized by a rise in subprime mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, and the resulting decline of securities backed by said mortgages....
, one of the issues in the race has been the candidates stances on foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
s.
The race was considered to be close. As of October 14, 2008 (three weeks before election day), The Rothenberg Political Report considered the race to be a toss-up. A poll by Survey USA indicated that African-American turnout would probably determine who won the race. Although it was considered a marginally Republican district, 27 percent of the district's voters are African-American—one of the highest percentages for a Republican-held district in the 109th Congress. The district includes nearly all of Cincinnati's African-American voters. In the November 4 election, Driehaus defeated incumbent Chabot with 52 percent of the vote, largely on the strength of a 16,000-vote margin in Hamilton County. He was also helped by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
carrying the district with 55 percent of the vote.
2010 U.S. Congressional race
Driehaus was challenged by Republican nominee and his predecessor, former U.S. Congressman Steve ChabotSteve Chabot
Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:...
, as well as Libertarian nominee James Berns, and Green Party nominee Richard Stevenson. As Chabot was ahead in public opinion polls, the DCCC pulled its financial support for TV ads from the Driehaus campaign, indicating to Chuck Todd that they expected Driehaus to be defeated, which he was, 52% to 45%.
Electoral history
| Date | Office | District | Democrat | Votes | Percentage | Republican | Votes | Percentage |
| November 7, 2000 | Ohio House of Representatives Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.... |
33 | Steve Driehaus | 19,263 | 57.26% | Tony Condia | 14,377 | 42.74% |
| November 5, 2002 | Ohio House of Representatives | 31 | Steve Driehaus | 13,916 | 65.21% | Sheryl Ross | 7,425 | 34.79% |
| November 2, 2004 | Ohio House of Representatives | 31 | Steve Driehaus | 26,330 | 69.36% | Terry Weber | 11,634 | 30.64% |
| November 7, 2006 | Ohio House of Representatives | 31 | Steve Driehaus | 15,557 | 67.33% | Scott Gehring | 7,550 | 32.67% |
| November 4, 2008 | U.S. House of Representatives | Ohio's 1st Ohio's 1st congressional district Ohio's 1st congressional district is currently represented by Republican Steve Chabot. This district includes parts of Cincinnati, and borders both Kentucky and Indiana.-Cities:Cincinnati Cheviot Deer Park Forest Park Harrison Mount Healthy... |
Steve Driehaus | 155,089 | 52.45% | Steve Chabot Steve Chabot Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:... |
140,469 | 47.5% |
Personal
Driehaus was raised in Green TownshipGreen Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Green Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 55,660 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the west central part of the county, it borders the following townships and city:...
by H. Donald "Don" Driehaus and his wife Clare along with his seven siblings. His wife, Lucienne, their two daughters Alex and Clare, and a son, Jack, live in Price Hill, Cincinnati
Price Hill, Cincinnati
Price Hill is a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, located north of Sedamsville and Riverside, south of Westwood and South Fairmount, and west of Queensgate. It is one of the oldest outlying settlements of Cincinnati, and includes parts of the zip codes 45205, 45238, and 45204.-Geography:Price Hill...
and attend the Roman Catholic St. Teresa of Avila parish. His father, Don Driehaus, is a former Hamilton County Democratic Party Co-chairman. He was succeeded in the Ohio House of representatives by his sister Denise Driehaus
Denise Driehaus
Denise Driehaus is a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 31st District since 2009.-Life and career:Driehaus was raised in Green Township by H. Donald "Don" Driehaus and his wife Clare along with her seven siblings. Her seat in the Ohio House of Representatives...
. Don died on September 21, 2008 at the age of 75. Driehaus's other siblings who survived his father were brothers Don, Joe, Jim, and Dan and sisters Dianne Brinkman and Cathy Allaben. He has twenty nieces and nephews as well as two uncles and two aunts who survived his father.
Lawsuit
In October 2011, it was reported that Driehaus had filed a lawsuit against the Susan B. Anthony ListSusan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List, or simply SBA List, is a 501 non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to eliminate abortion in the U.S. by supporting pro-life politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List Candidate Fund political action committee...
for allegedly publishing false information about his political positions on abortion and health care.
External links
- Steve Driehaus for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...