State Rep. Matt Barrett’s unexpected resignation Thursday has left Democrats scrambling to fill his seat and maintain control of the district he won in 2006.

“It certainly doesn’t help our chances,” Tony Giardini, head of the Democratic Party in Lorain, said after learning of Barrett’s resignation.

The decision of who will serve out the remainder of Barrett’s term rests with the Ohio House Democratic Caucus, which has scheduled a meeting Monday to figure that out.

State Rep. Chris Redfern, D-Catawba Island, said Thursday that Democrats likely will choose a replacement with good name recognition in Barrett’s district, which includes Huron County and portions of Lorain and Seneca counties.

“It’ll be a current or former elected official who is well-known in the district,” said Redfern, who is also the head of the state Democratic Party.

State Sen. Sue Morano,

D-Lorain, said the party will need to focus heavily on all the good that Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, also a Democrat, has done during the November general election.

Two possible choices to replace Barrett, she said, are Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch and Huron County Auditor Roland Tkach.

Lorain County Republican Party Chairwoman Helen Hurst said the district Barrett, D-Amherst, represents leans Republican, and that, coupled with Barrett’s resignation, could help Republican Terry Boose, a former Huron County commissioner, win the job in November.

Boose was to have faced Barrett, who won the Democratic primary in March.

“It really depends on who they replace him with,” she said. “Whoever they replace him with will have a leg up because they’re an incumbent.”

Democrats are eyeing winning both the state House of Representatives and Senate two years after regaining the governor’s job and other statewide offices.

But numerous problems in the office of Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann — the latest of which is sexual harassment allegations filed against a key Dann aide by two female employees — and Barrett’s resignation could sabotage that.

 State Rep. Joe Koziura, D-Lorain, said Barrett’s district is a crucial district for Democrats to hold if they’re to win control of the Ohio House.

“That’s a critical district for us,” he said. “We won it last time with Matt because he’s a great candidate.”

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

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