GOP Candidate Eligible to Replace Ney on Ballot

The favored candidate to take Rep. Bob Ney’s spot on the ticket can legally do so under Ohio law, the state attorney general said.

Republicans had considered how to replace Ney, who announced this week he would not seek re-election. A six-term GOP lawmaker, Ney has come under scrutiny for his ties to Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist at the center of a congressional corruption scandal

State Sen. Joy Padgett is the leading candidate and would be eligible to enter a special primary to replace Ney on the November ballot, the attorney general said.