Republican state sen. Steve Stivers is an Iraq War vet who touts his "moderate" and "independent" credentials as he campaigns to hold onto a very vulnerable open U.S. House seat left open by retiring Republican Congresswoman Deborah Pryce.

Sound familiar? Yes, he is the local version of John McCain in the Columbus, Ohio area. Like McCain, he loves lobbyists so much, instead of simply having them run his entire campaign and policy shop, he chose to actuallly become one. But the comparison extends even further.

Like McCain, he has an R-rated history when it comes to behavior towards women, while he seeks to become a congressman representing the "family values" party (try not to laugh as images of David Vitter, Mark Foley and Larry Craig surely occupy your cerebrum). Heck, he has even one-upped McCain on the zealotry front, and voted against stem-cell research.

How very moderate of him!

But it is his attraction to young women that should make you wonder whether you would want this man as your congressman. From The Canton Repository:

The state champion girls volleyball team of Mercy High School in Cincinnati was in the Senate chamber recently to receive a resolution recognizing their accomplishment.

They had gathered around State Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, causing fellow Sen. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, to comment that Kearney “attracts all the attractive women.”

Reminded that he had just returned from his honeymoon after marrying the former Karen Tabor two weeks earlier, Stivers backpedaled.

“I’m allowed to window shop, just not buy,” he said.  

Tabor, the spokesperson for House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, confirmed her husband’s shopping rules, but said they might be worth a review.

Now there’s someone I’d want to see mentoring a 16-year old Capitol Hill page.