THIS TAPED PHONE CALL IMPLICATES STATE REPUBLICANS IN ILLEGALLY TARGETING AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS. AS THEY REDREW DISTRICT LINES. OHIO DEMOCRATS ARE SUING AND SAY THIS TAPE MAKES THEIR CASE.

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WHEN HE'S NOT UP ON THE STATEHOUSE PODIUM, SPEAKER LARRY HOUSEHOLDER IS DOWN ON THE FARM.

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THE SPEAKER LIVES HERE IN PERRY COUNTY, MORE THAN 100 MILES AWAY FROM CINCINNATI. (nat pop) THE DISTANCE DOESN'T STOP HIM FROM TRYING TO INFLUENCE ONE OF OUR LOCAL RACES.

(Speaker Larry Householder) "We're going to put our financial resources and our human resources, volunteers and such to work to try to create a situation where Jim Raussen can win because Jim's been out there to fight the good fight and tried hard to have that office.'"

AND NOW JIM RAUSSEN IS TRYING AGAIN TO BE ELECTED TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE. RAUSSEN HOPES TO UNSEAT DEMOCRAT WAYNE COATS, WHO BEAT HIM TWO YEARS AGO.

(Jim Raussen) "We came within what was considered one of the closest, second closest elections in the state of Ohio in the year 2000. And we felt the need to kind of complete what we set out to do back then."

AND THIS TIME, THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE GUARANTEES RAUSSEN WILL WIN. LISTEN TO THIS.

(Tape excerpts) The day after election day the Speaker sits down with Jim and says 'Jim, this is horrible what happened to you…You have my personal commitment that in November of 2002, election night two years from now, you will win and you will be the State Representative.

THE PERSON TALKING IS THE SPEAKER'S CHIEF OF STAFF, BRETT BUERCK. THE SPEAKER TOLD BUERCK TO CALL JIM RAUSSEN'S PRIMARY OPPONENT AND GET HIM OUT OF THE RACE. (nat) HE'S 26 YEAR OLD TEACHER DOUG MINK. MINK RECORDED THE CALL.

(Tape excerpt) B-So I hope you can appreciate our personal investment in Jim and the Speaker giving Jim his word that he was going to do whatever it took t get him across the line.

(Laure Quinlivan) "Well they didn't convince you to drop out." (Doug Mink) "Obviously not, I'm here talking to you right now and I've filed all my paperwork and yeah, it definitely didn't because I have faith in our system."

(Laure Quinlivan)

BUT YOU'RE ABOUT TO HEAR SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SHAKE YOUR FAITH IN THE SYSTEM. IT'S SOMETHING CRITICS CALL DISTURBING AND POSSIBLY ILLEGAL. SPEAKER HOUSEHOLDER IS ON THE 5 PERSON COMMITTEE THAT RECENTLY REDREW DISTRICT LINES ACROSS THE STATE. THIS SECRETLY RECORDED CONVERSATION INDICATES THE COMMITTEE MAY HAVE ILLEEGALLY TARGETED AFRICAN AMERICANS. THE REASON? TO HELP JIM RAUSSEN, WHO DIDN'T DO WELL WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS WHEN HE RAN IN 2000.

(Tape excerpts) Al Gore did an incredible job in getting black turnout to unprecedented levels in inner cities across the country…African American turnout was at an all time high. The impact of that in the real world in the Raussen race is you have several different precincts where Jim Raussen got zero votes…Because of the changes that we've made in redistricting to help Jim, we essentially took 13,000 African Americans out of the Raussen district and put 14,000 Republicans in.

(Doug Mink) "If you actually took so many African Americans out of the district and mention them by the name African American, that's unethical and that's racist right there too. And that shouldn't be stood for. Nobody should do that, I mean that's just totally wrong.

THE MAN ON THE TAPE WAS SPEAKER HOUSEHOLDER'S CHIEF OF STAFF BRETT BUERCK. AT THIS INTERVIEW HE DOESN'T KNOW WE'VE HEARD THE TAPE.

(Brett Buerck) "Our overall goal was certainly to empower the Republican candidates." (Laure Quinlivan) "What about taking African American votes out of this district?" (Buerck) "I'd have to sit down and look at it…without having lines in front of me, I can't…"

HE CAN'T REMEMBER? HE WAS SO SPECIFIC WITH DOUG MINK.

(Tape excerpt) "We essentially took 13,000 African Americans out of the Rausssen districtd and put 14,000 Republicans in."

(Laure Quinlivan) "One of the things that Brett Buerck said in his call to Doug Mink was that you all took 13,000 African American votes out of the district and put 14,000 Republicans in to help Jim win this time. (Larry Householder) I don't know if that's accurate or not. We've had consultants and experts draw those lines…Scott Borgemenke is the person our board hired to do that and we told him to draw lines that are constitutional and would pass court muster and he drew the lines that are constitutional and we agree with him." (Laure Quinlivan) "The point is not that somebody redrew the lines, but that you're referring to voters as African American voters, by race, should you be doing that?" (Larry Householder) "I wouldn't think that would be, I don't know that…really I can't answer it because I don't know that it happened."

WE GAVE THE TAPE TO THE SPEAKER AND AFTER LISTENING TO IT, HE TOLD US HE HAS NO PROBLEM WITH WHAT'S ON TAPE. MIKE BARRETT DOES. (nat sound pop) HE'S CHAIRMAN OF THE HAMILTON COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY.

(Mike Barrett) "We are making a pitch to African Americans and showing that we can represent them and I think to make a comment like that is probably irresponsible."

(Sen. Mark Mallory) "It makes me think there's a serious violation of the Voting Rights Act."

DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR MARK MALLORY ALSO LISTENED TO THE TAPE. HE'S ONE OF THE OHIO DEMOCRATS SUING REPUBLICANS, ALLEGING THE NEW DISTRICT LINES ARE UNCONSTITUIONAL BECAUSE THEY 'DENY AFRICAN AMERICANS THE RIGHT TO CAST AN EFFECTIVE VOTE'. HE CALLS THE TAPE -- EVIDENCE.

(Sen. Mark Mallory) "I think they're clearly admitting that they used race. They used 13,000 African Americans by taking them out of the district, diluting the strength of the African American vote, ensuring that not only can a Democrat not get elected, but an African American can't get elected to that district whether they're Democrat or Republican."

(Laure Quinlivan) "What do you think the fallout is going to be as this conversation becomes public?"

(Mark Mallory) "I think for the first time the general public is going to get to see the inner workings of the Republican machine in Columbus and I think it's going to be very shocking to a lot of people."

WHAT MAY BE MORE SHOCKING TO PEOPLE IS THE SPEAKER'S REACTION…HE SAYS THOUGH HE MAY HAVE SAID IT DIFFERENTLY, HE HAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE MESSAGE ON TAPE. AND THE SPEAKER HOPES ONE DAY OHIOANS WILL GIVE HIM THE STATE'S TOP JOB.

(Laure Quinlivan) "Do you want to be Governor?" (Speaker Householder) "Some day, yes some day."

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