Off the Record

Now that Pete Rose’s image has been tarnished, the fair city of Cincinnati is in the market for another record setter. A good bet is Kenneth Blackwell. This former city-council member hopes to become the first black voting Republican member of the House since 1932. Mr. Blackwell, a former mayor of Cincinnati, is running in a tough race against the current mayor, Charles Luken, in Ohio’s first congressional district.

Mr. Blackwell’s Republicanism is of the Kemp stripe—enthusiastic, promarket, and pro-life. On top of this, he has a long history of community work, including the founding (along with Procter & Gamble president John Pepper) of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, a private effort to reduce the dropout rate in the city’s schools. Among Mr. Luken’s distinctions, by contrast, is that he is the son of the current occupant of the contested seat, Democratic Representative Thomas Luken.

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Now that Pete Rose’s image has been tarnished, the fair city of Cincinnati is in the market for another record setter. A good bet is Kenneth Blackwell. This former city-council member hopes to become the first black voting Republican member of the House since 1932. Mr. Blackwell, a former mayor of Cincinnati, is running in a tough race against the current mayor, Charles Luken, in Ohio’s first congressional district.

Mr. Blackwell’s Republicanism is of the Kemp stripe—enthusiastic, promarket, and pro-life. On top of this, he has a long history of community work, including the founding (along with Procter & Gamble president John Pepper) of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, a private effort to reduce the dropout rate in the city’s schools. Among Mr. Luken’s distinctions, by contrast, is that he is the son of the current occupant of the contested seat, Democratic Representative Thomas Luken.