COLUMBUS, Ohio – Bill O’Neill, a former Ohio Supreme Court Justice, has declared his intention to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. David Joyce for the congressional seat in northeast Ohio.
The 78-year-old Democrat said Wednesday he is coming out of retirement because he can’t “sit idly by as my government falls apart.”
“Affordable health care is unattainable for the majority of Americans, armed individuals posing as law enforcement are blatantly violating the U.S. Constitution, and environmental protection is now seemingly obsolete,” O’Neill stated in a press release sent to The Associated Press.
O’Neill described Joyce as “a pleasant individual” but stressed that Joyce must account for his support of President Donald Trump’s policy initiatives and the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk, who was appointed to run the president’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
The U.S. Army veteran, registered nurse and former appellate judge served on the Ohio Supreme Court from 2013 to 2018. O’Neill said that, counting his judicial runs and past bids for Congress, voters in the counties comprising Ohio’s 14th Congressional District have delivered him to victory nine of 12 times.
Joyce, 68, is a former Geauga County prosecutor. He’s served in the House since 2013. His campaign didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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