Brinkman also might challenge Schmidt

A day after Bob McEwen, a former congressman from southwest Ohio, announced that he would challenge Rep. Jean Schmidt in the 2nd Congressional District, Ohio state Rep. Tom Brinkman of Cincinnati said he's also considering a run.

Schmidt beat both McEwen and Brinkman in last year's 11-person GOP primary with 28 percent of the vote. McEwen got 27 percent, Brinkman 21 percent.

Brinkman, who spoke to the Enquirer by phone, said that he had urged McEwen to take on Schmidt last year, after the freshman congresswoman was booed off the House floor on Nov. 18 for insinuating that Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated former Marine, was a "coward" for wanting to pull troops out of Iraq.

"I think it's so important that we remove Jean Schmidt from office. She's an embarrassment," Brinkman said. "I encouraged him (McEwen) to get into it before other people make plans."

Although McEwen has been rumored to be planning a run against Schmidt for months, he didn't make it official until Wednesday. By then, Brinkman had already sent out a 4-page letter to 2,600 people who contributed to his campaign last year asking them if they'd support him again.

"The problem that we had eight months ago was that he (McEwen) strolled into the race," Brinkman said. "To me, it's more important that we beat her than I go to Congress, so I'm going to weigh who stands a better chance to beat her."

Brinkman's letter asking people to check "Yes, take her on" or "No, leave her alone" went out Jan. 8, before the U.S. postage rate increased from 37 cents a letter to 39 cents.

"Well, you know, I watch my pennies," Brinkman said with a chuckle, adding that he'll decide whether to take on Schmidt and McEwen by the end of January or the first week of February, before Ohio's Feb. 16 candidate filing deadline.

"The people out there are sick of her," Brinkman said of Schmidt. "The dislike of Jean is so broad ... I just think people are done with her."