John Boccieri

Infobox State Senator


imagesize =
name=John Boccieri


state=Ohio
office=Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, 16th district
state_senate2=Ohio
state2=Ohio
district2=33rd
term2=2007 -
preceded2=
succeeded2=Incumbent
party=Democratic
date of birth=birth date and age|1969|10|5
place of birth=Youngstown, Ohio
date of death=
place of death=} alma_mater=St. Bonaventure University, Webster University
occupation=government, baseball player
spouse=Stacey Kennedy-Boccieri
religion=Roman Catholic

John Boccieri is a Democratic member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 33rd District since 2007. Previously he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 through 2006. He is currently the Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative from ushr|Ohio|16.

Boccieri flies the C-130 Hercules as a member of the Air Force Reserve. He has been forward deployed several times and served in Operation Enduring Freedom and the Iraq War, causing him to take leaves of absence from the Ohio Legislature.

Early life and career

Boccieri attended St. Bonaventure University in New York; after graduation, he played minor league baseball in the Frontier League. Following one season of baseball, he began his career in government. After working as staff for several members of the Ohio House of Representatives, Boccieri joined the United States Air Force as a lieutenant. He also earned a master's degree from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Ohio Legislature

After leaving the active duty Air Force, he re-entered politics, running for and winning the 61st District of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000. In 2006, he won a seat in the Ohio State Senate in District 33; he was unopposed.

2008 U.S. Representative campaign

There had been speculation throughout 2007 that Boccieri would challenge U.S. Representative Ralph Regula to represent the 16th District in the U.S. House, which Regula had held for 30 years. When Regula announced his retirement in late 2007, Boccieri faced an open field. Boccieri filed his candidacy paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission in Washington on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 in preparation of making a formal announcement of his bid.

Boccieri defeated State Legislator Mary Cirelli with 64% of the vote in the Democratic primary. He will face State Senator Kirk Schuring this November. The 16th Congressional district has had a Republican in the seat for over 50 years. [ [http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=9&ID=353244&r=13&subCategoryID= Boccieri seeks Regula's seat] Paul E. Kostyu, "The Repository", May 9, 2007]

An independent poll conducted by SurveyUSA and Roll Call newpaper shows Boccieri leading Republican Kirk Schuring by eight percentage points. The survey of 635 likely voters reported 49 percent of respondents supporting Boccieri, 41 percent supporting Schuring, and 9 percent undecided. [ [http://www.indeonline.com/local_news/x1291579184/New-poll-Boccieri-up-8-on-Schuring New poll: Boccieri up 8 on Schuring] Matthew Rink, "The Independent", September 23, 2008]

References

External links

* [http://www.senate.state.oh.us/senators/bios/sd_33.html The Ohio Senate - John Boccieri] "official OH Senate website"
* [http://johnforcongress.com/ John Boccieri for U.S. Congress] "official campaign website"
*"OpenSecrets.org" - John Boccieri
** [http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?ID=OH15&Cycle=2008 2008] [http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?ID=OH15&Cycle=2006 2006] campaign finances
*"Follow the Money" - John Boccieri
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200635&c=422653 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200435&c=399558 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200235&c=374618 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200035&c=374170 2000] campaign contributions
*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Ohio/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Candidates_and_Campaigns/US_House/Congressional_District_16/John_%c2%adBoccieri_%5bD%5d