Local and State Democratic Candidates Announced

On March 6, Knox County Democrats will have a choice to make in one primary election, while two other nominations will be uncontested.

Candidates for state representative in the 68th district are Knox County residents John Ryerson and Bradley Schaaf. Ryerson, of Gambier, is an attorney and member of the Knox County Democratic Party Executive Committee. Ryerson challenged incumbent Rep. Margaret Ann Ruhl in 2010. Schaaf, of Utica, is a retired steelworker.

Running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for Knox County Commissioner is John Booth. Booth, a longtime member of the Mount Vernon City Council, retired from his post as council president last month.

The sole candidate for the 7th congressional district is Joyce Healy-Abrams of Canton. Healy-Abrams, who will take on incumbent Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs in November, is first-time candidate and longtime campaign organizer. She has been active in Democratic campaigns in Ohio, including those of her brother, Canton mayor William J. Healy II, and her late father, William J. Healy, a former state legislator from Stark County.