Chabot wins tough race in Ohio 

Longtime Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) was projected on Tuesday to beat back a fierce challenge from Democrat Kate Schroder, whom he had portrayed as too liberal and radical for the Cincinnati-area district.

The Associated Press called the race at 11:44 p.m. EST.

A former executive at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Schroder had bashed President Trump over his handling of the coronavirus crisis and took aim at Chabot for trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act without offering an alternative plan.

Chabot, the top Republican on the Small Business Committee, countered by touting his work on the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses struggling to survive in the pandemic.

And in a debate and throughout the campaign, Chabot repeatedly tried to link Schroder to some of the Democratic Party’s most liberal figures and policies, including the Green New Deal favored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), known as AOC.

“You name it, virtually every issue, she would be with the AOCs of the world. She’d be the fifth member of ‘The Squad,’ ” Chabot said in a recent interview on Fox News.

In reelecting Chabot, voters in Ohio’s 1st Congressional District decided to stick with a reliable conservative who has seniority and deep relationships on Capitol Hill. Chabot, 67, a former Cincinnati city councilman and Hamilton County commissioner, had held the House seat for all but one term since 1995.

His race with Schroder had been considered a “toss-up” by The Cook Political Report. It marked the second consecutive tough race he’s had; two years ago, Chabot narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Aftab Pureval, 51 percent to 47 percent.