Vanessa Enoch, of West Chester Twp., won Tuesday’s democratic primary with nearly 58 percent of the vote, according to final, unofficial election results. She bested Ted Jones, of Piqua; Matthew Guyette, of Greenville; and Bill Ebben, of West Chester Twp.
“I ran against some very, very awesome gentlemen,” Enoch said.
The 8th Congressional District is one of the most conservative congressional districts in Ohio. It incorporates all of Butler, Clark, Darke, Miami and Preble counties, and the southernmost portion of Mercer County. It stretches from the shores of Grand Lake St. Mary’s along its northern borders to just before the northern portion of the Interstate 275 loop in Greater Cincinnati.
There are three-to-four times as many Republicans than Democrats in the six counties, according to elections office data.
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But Enoch said she is hopeful she can beat Davidson, who won two elections in 2016 to win the congressional seat formerly held by former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp.
“I understand the landscape that I’m running in, and I’ve lived here for 15 years and I’m hoping to win over some voters who have traditionally voted a straight Republican ticket,” said Enoch. “I’m hearing some really great things out of the Republican camp. Some folks are looking for change and I’m looking forward to being that change candidate.”
Enoch owns Cultural Impact, which provides training and management consulting services. She holds a Ph.D. in public policy and social change from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati. She earned an MBA from Xavier University and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from The Ohio State University.
Davidson, a freshman congressman, has the backing of fellow Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, and the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Davidson is also independently wealthy and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his 2016 election campaign.
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