Republican freshman Rep. David Joyce beat his Republican primary challenger state Rep. Matt Lynch in the Ohio primary on Tuesday.
Lynch ran a more conservative campaign, earning the support of Freedom Works and former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX).
Party leaders chose Joyce as the successor to LaTourette who surprised the Republicans when he decided to abandon his reelection campaign. Joyce, a friend of LaTourette, effectively replaced his friend on the ballot.
LaTourette, a top ally of Speaker John Boehner who was a leading moderate Republican when he served in Congress, also supported Joyce through his Defending Main Street SuperPAC, using funds to send out attack mailings against Lynch.
The conservative Club for Growth also feuded with LaTourette in the race. “I think Steve LaTourette may have eaten a lot of paint chips as a kid,” said Club for Growth spokesman Barney Keller to the Cleveland Plain Dealer in response to bitter comments from the staff involved with the Super PAC.
>Joyce raised over $1.5 million in his race according to the last report obtained by Open Secrets in April.
He will face Democrat opponent Michael Wagner, a corporate attorney.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel of New York named the seat as one of the party’s top four targets in 2014, as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney 14th District only carried the district by three points.
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