A former candidate for Hilliard mayor filed today to run as the Constitution Party candidate for a central Ohio congressional seat, joining an increasingly crowded field of conservatives in the race.
David B. Ryon, 40, an information-technology specialist, said he plans to court conservative voters who are unhappy with the most prominent Republican candidate, former state Sen. Steve Stivers.
Stivers plans a rematch against Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Columbus. She narrowly defeated him in 2008.
"Stivers and Kilroy are both pro-abortion candidates," Ryon said in a press release. "I will obey our Constitution, defend civil liberties, advocate 2nd Amendment rights, respect state sovereignty and protect our republic."
Ryon likely will appear on the general-election ballot. Stivers also faces two challengers in the Republican primary: John Adams, an Upper Arlington conservative and former Portsmouth councilman, and Ralph Applegate, a perennial candidate for Congress.
Kilroy has no challengers in the Democratic primary so far, according to information from the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Her congressional district includes much of Columbus, its western suburbs and all of Madison and Union counties.
