Ney has strongly denied the accusations and expressed confidence that he still has robust support in his district. In May, he easily beat his primary opponent, financial analyst James Brodbelt Harris, taking 68 percent of the vote. But Harris was a political unknown who failed to raise the $5,000 threshold to register with the Federal Election Commission, suggesting that much of his support was simply a protest vote against Ney. In the general election, Ney will face Zack Space, the elected law director in Dover, a 12,000-person town in the district. At last reporting, Ney has raised almost $1.2 million for the race, nearly 10 times what Space has raised, but Ney has already spent about two thirds of it. Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is expected to contribute heavily to Space's coffers. Expect Space, who has called on Ney to resign, to continue to hammer the congressman on ethics and corruption. And expect Ney to highlight his local achievements and to criticize Space for raising funds from liberal interest groups.

House, 15

With friends like hers, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce hardly needs opponents. Among her Republican colleagues, Rep. Bob Ney is mired in scandal, and both Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and President Bush are scoring historic lows in state approval polls. The seven-term congresswoman has always coasted to re-election, but this year, in addition to her party's ills, she is facing a tough opponent in Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, the twice-elected commissioner of Franklin County, which includes Columbus and makes up 87 percent of Pryce's district. The race has all the makings of a nail-biter. Pryce, as chairman of the Republican Conference, the fourth-highest House Republican position, is formidable herself. Her politics–conservative on economic and foreign policy issues but supportive of abortion rights and opposed to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage–fit well in her district. She is also a prodigious fundraiser, with $1.5 million in cash on hand as of mid-April, compared with Kilroy's $352,000. Besides grappling with Kilroy, Republicans are trying to prevent a conservative independent, Charles Morrison, from getting on the ballot and possibly siphoning votes from Pryce.

House, Sixth

Whatever the outcome in Ohio's Sixth District, any mention of Democrat Charlie Wilson's name will probably include reference to a starting-gate blunder that nearly cost him the election and placed his race on the GOP's target list. Wilson failed to secure the 50 signatures required to place his name on the primary ballot and had to run as a write-in candidate against two weak contenders. After winning that contest handily, he faces Republican state Rep. Chuck Blasdel in the general election. Despite the early fumble by Wilson's camp, Blasdel has much work ahead of him if he hopes to move to Washington. Since the primary, pollsters have given a solid advantage to Wilson.