James Peter Trakas (born May 5, 1965) is an American politician who served as a member of the
Ohio House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006. He was the
Republican nominee for the
United States House of Representatives in
Ohio's 10th congressional district in 2008.
Education
Trakas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Ohio State University in social and behavioral sciences.
Career
In 1991, Trakas was elected to the
Independence City Council where he served two terms. In 1996 Trakas was elected chairman of The Republican Party of
Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...
, serving until 2005.
In 1998, Trakas was elected to the
Ohio House of Representatives representing the 15th district, later renumbered the 17th district, where he served until 2007. As State Representative Trakas served two terms as House Majority Whip, and was a member of the Finance and Appropriations Committee. During Trakas' tenure, he authored 14 bills into law, including the Third Frontier Program. In 2002, Trakas was named "Best Politician" by ''
Cleveland Scene
The ''Cleveland Scene'' is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper includes highlights of Cleveland-area arts, music, dining, and films, as well as classified advertising. The first edition of the newspaper was pub ...
'', an alternative newspaper.
Jim Trakas was the Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Ohio's 10th congressional district, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008. He ran for ...
. Trakas left office in 2006. In 2018, he was a candidate for the 6th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, losing narrowly to Democratic nominee
Phil Robinson.
See also
*
United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio, 2008
The 2008 congressional elections in Ohio were held on November 4, 2008 and determined who will represent the state of Ohio in the United States House of Representatives. The primary election was held on March 4, 2008.
Ohio has eighteen seats i ...
References
External links
Jim Trakas' campaign site
1965 births
Living people
Politicians from Cleveland
Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
People from Cuyahoga County, Ohio
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