While the one-of-a-kind race to replace state Rep. Gerald McCormick simmers temporarily on the back burner, the GOP primary contest to fill the county’s other open state House seat is boiling furiously on the front of the stove.
Departing state Rep. Marc Gravitt on Thursday endorsed Esther Helton in what he called an “outright ugly” campaign between the East Ridge City Council member and Jonathan Mason, an Unum employee, for the District 30 seat.
Gravitt’s endorsement came a day after his attempt to honor a much-respected WWII veteran and a long-time local public official was blocked at the Hamilton County Commission by what he called “petty politics” from Mason supporters.
The Mason side calls Gravitt’s unscheduled appearance a political stunt in support of Helton, who sat with the families of honorees Kayo Erwin and Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean.
All this comes during a contest in which Mason paints Helton as “all tangled up with Obama and the Democrats,” based on her having voted in four Democratic primaries since 1994, and Helton accuses Mason of lying about her Republican credentials, her voting record and her pro-life stance, among other issues.