WARREN DAVIDSON LIVE ON RADIO
Warren Davidson will be live on AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO Wednesday around 7:30 a.m. on a special edition of Miami Valley’s Morning News.
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Republican Warren Davidson will fill the rest of former House Speaker John Boehner’s term in Congress after a big victory Tuesday night.
And this is a “surreal” moment for the Miami County businessman and former Army Ranger who will represent Butler, Clark, Miami, Preble, Darke and part of Mercer counties in Congress.
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WARREN DAVIDSON LIVE ON RADIO WEDNESDAY
Warren Davidson will be live on AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO Wednesday around 7:30 a.m. on a special edition of Miami Valley’s Morning News.
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“It’s just an amazing experience, and it’s a pretty humbling to have people put the kind of confidence in us,” said Davidson at an election results watch party at Murphy’s Landing in Middletown. “People worked hard and made thousands of phone calls to get out the vote, and those what were behind other candidates in the primary really did rally around us.”
With 100 percent of the district’s precincts reporting, Davidson has unofficially earned 76.8 percent of the vote while Democrat Corey Foister received 21 percent and Green Party candidate Jim Condit, Jr., pulled in 2.2 percent.
Davidson said he could be sworn in to office as early as Thursday, and it’s just like going back on active duty.
“We’re anxious to see the final and full, official results, obviously, but it looks really good right now,” he said. “It’s just an h0nor to have so many voters from the 8th District trust us with this opportunity to serve.”
And for the first time since the 8th Congressional District was re-districted in the 1970s, someone not from Butler County will represent the district in Washington, D.C.
Boehner offered his congratulations to Davidson, Tuesday evening.
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Earlier stories
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“As I said months ago after Warren’s victory in the GOP primary, the voters of the 8th District have chosen someone who can be counted on to continue the fight for a smaller, less costly, more accountable federal government,” Boehner said. “I know Warren will serve the people of the 8th District honorably, as he served our country honorably in the U.S. Army.”
On Day 1 for Davidson is to build the team.
“We haven’t been able to hire anybody,” he said. “And if everything goes right, by the end of the week we’ll be sworn in and be taking votes.”
His first piece of legislation he wants to push is having a Congress have the VA system as its healthcare.
“The first bill that I’ve said I wanted to put out is focused on fixing the VA,” he said. “And that’s a bipartisan thing. I’ve heard people campaign on the far left and the far right campaign on fixing the VA … so my first bill I want to put out is that Congress shall have no other benefit than the VA health benefit, effective Jan. 1, 2019.”
Davidson will replace Boehner, a West Chester Twp. Republican, who served as the district’s congressional representative from January 1991 until his retirement at the end of October 2015. The unexpired term ends at the beginning of January. Davidson won a highly competitive special Republican primary in March, besting 14 other candidates, while Foister and Condit Jr. were in uncontested races.
This race was anything but competitive in a congressional district that’s considered one of the most conservative in the state.
The 8th Congressional District, as it currently sits for the most part, was redistricted following the 1970 census caused it to be eliminated. Clark County was added to the district following the 2010 census.
Davidson will fill out the remaining several months of Boehner's former term. But Davidson and Foister must go one more election, competing for the seat as the full two-year term is to be decided in November. But Condit, Jr. won't be included on the November ballot as a Green Party member. He made himself ineligible when he pulled a Republican Party ballot in the March primary.
RELATED: 5 things to know about the 8th Congressional District
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