Republican Congressional candidate Jim Renacci has taken the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to court, claiming the union defamed him by claiming in ads that he lied on his taxes. The ads were aimed at helping his Democratic opponent, incumbent Rep. John Boccieri (D-OH).
The battle pits the GOP against a powerful union trying to protect a freshman Democratic pickup from 2008. Prognosticators say Boccieri’s 16th District seat carries advantages for the Democrats, but could go either way. Let’s put it this way: It’s the kind of place that Republicans say they can win this year.
It’s likely Renacci suit against a major name in organized labor won’t hurt his goal of rallying Republican voters for November. According to local news site CantonRep.com, Renacci says in his suit that “the union’s advertising contains false and defamatory statements that Renacci tried to cheat on his taxes.”
“[T]the people of our district have been witness to a new low in the level of political discourse, as John Boccieri and the union bosses at AFSCME have engaged in some of the most reprehensible and ethically bankrupt conduct this district has ever seen,” Renacci told reporters in a press conference outside court house steps yesterday.
AFSCME sees things a little differently.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Richard Feller, the union’s associate director of political action, issued a statement that said Renacci can “huff and puff” but “facts are stubborn things.”
“The fact remains that, in 2000, he filed an adjusted gross income of negative $247,000 but a state audit calculated the sum at $13.7 million,” Feller’s statement said. “As a result, the Renaccis were assessed $954,650 in unpaid taxes, $146,938 in interest, and $293,876 in penalties.”.
CantonRep reports “The tax dispute ended with an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that favored the state. After the court ruling, Renacci paid the state $954,650 in back taxes, $146,938 in interest and a $293,876 penalty. The dispute never involved any criminal investigation or charge.”
AFSCME has bombarded the district with attacks on Renacci’s history as a taxpayer, launching a website and a direct mail campaign aimed, it appears, at planting the seed that the Republican nominee is a tax cheat.
So who’s right? Unclear. But AFSCME has been hit by independent fact-checkers for some of its previous advertising in the race, which has focused on the union’s claim that Renacci would sock voters with a 23-cent national sales tax if he makes it to Congress:
Factcheck.org labeled those ads “misleading.”
“It’s true enough that Renacci has voiced support for the so-called “FairTax” proposal, which is billed by supporters as a 23 percent tax on sales,” the site reports. “What the ad fails to mention is that the FairTax would replace the federal income tax and abolish the Internal Revenue Service, according to its supporters.”
PolitiFact was a little more approving of the facts in the ads, proclaiming them “half-true.”
Regardless of what happens with the lawsuit, it’s clear it’s already producing rhetorical wins for Renacci.
“John Boccieri and his Washington allies have accused me of everything short of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and at this rate I’m sure that’s probably next,” the Republican says on his campaign website.
But, of course, the suit also calls attention to AFSCME’s ads and — according to the Democrats — provides an opportunity for Boccieri to talk up Renacci’s past legal issues.
As the Democratic nominee Boccieri put it after Renacci filed his suit against AFSCME, “obviously Mr. Renacci is no stranger to the courtroom.”
Editor’s Note: This post has been edited since it was first published.
