GREENVILLE — A Republican candidate for Ohio’s 12th District Senate seat visited Greenville Monday to meet with local voters.
Matt Huffman, 55, of Lima, Ohio, has declared his candidacy for the seat currently held by Sen. Keith Faber, who cannot run for seat in 2016 due to term limits.
Joined by his wife Sheryl, Huffman attended a meet-and-greet hosted by the A&B Coffee & Cake Co. in downtown Greenville Monday evening., followed by a dinner at Brethren Retirement Community hosted by the Darke County Republican Women’s Club.
Huffman’s previous legislative experience includes serving eight years in the Ohio General Assembly representing the 4th Congressional District from 2007 to 2014, as well as a 15-year stint on the Lima City Council (eight years as president).
During his final two years as a representative in the Ohio House he served as Speaker Pro Tempore.
Huffman has so far received the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and Ohio Rep. Jim Buchy.
Since leaving at the end of his term limit in 2014, Huffman resumed practicing law in Lima. His visit to Darke County promises to be one of many.
“I was born and raised in Allen County,” Huffman said, “and I want to make sure I get into the other six counties in the district I haven’t represented and get to know the people there.”
Politically, Huffman emphasized his positions as “pro-life and pro-Second Amendment.”
The candidate also described himself as a “small-government, low-tax conservative,” saying, “Problems are best solved by the private sector.”
“I believe the personal income tax is the worst kind of tax,” he said. “The Ohio Legislature has worked hard to lower that.”
Huffman added, “We’ve made great strides in the last four years, but there is still a lot of waste in state government.”
The role of the federal government in state and local affairs is another area Huffman seeks to address if elected senator.
“One of the main problems Ohio has is the federal government imposing its will on state and local governments. This is done primarily through what I would call ‘financial extortion,’” he said.
Huffman pointed to education as one example, saying, “The federal government should have no role in local education. States need to push back against this.”
Asked for his preference for the Republican presidential nominee, Huffman said, “I support our governor [John Kasich].”
Ohio’s primary election is scheduled for March 15, 2016. The general election will be held Nov. 8, 2016.
For further information, visit Huffman’s 2016 senatorial campaign website at www.matthuffman.org.
