Guaranteed, come Jan. 1, 2013 we will find out what the payoff to Steve Austria was to drop out of the OH-10 race:

Republican congressman Steve Austria of Beavercreek announced Friday that he will not seek re-election, allowing the party to avoid what would have been a contentious and divisive primary with Rep. Mike Turner of Centerville.

Although Austria had been easily re-elected last year, he became a victim of a fierce intraparty battle over the new congressional districts. Because of the new congressional map created by the Republican legislature, Austria would have been forced to run in a March 6 primary against either Turner or in the Central Ohio district held by freshman Republican Steve Stivers.

“I am not going to run for Congress next term as a result of the redistricting map,’’ said Austria, who represented the 7th district. He said a primary would have been divisive and “pitted friends against friends.’’

via Rep. Austria will not seek re-election to Congress | www.whiotv.com.

Expect to see Steve Austria become a federal employee or be appointed to some powerful committee.

The WHIO-TV station news people don’t understand Congress at all- with the following fallacy:

The new map presented Austria with a difficult choice: Either run against Turner in a district that favored Turner, or uproot his family and move into Stivers’ district, mounting a challenge against a Republican with close ties to House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Township.

You don’t have to live in a district to run in it or to represent it, just 25 years old and have been a resident of the State for 7 years.

This just saved Turner half a million or so. Maybe he just paid it directly to Austria? It wouldn’t be the first time Austria has been bought: http://esrati.com/bad-investments-by-government/589/

I turned in 108 signatures at 2 p.m. There were 9 candidates who had turned in already, but one was a Libertarian. Petitions can be turned in until 4 p.m. Turner turned in yesterday. The lineup will be validated on Tuesday around 11 a.m. by the Montgomery County Board of Elections.