Take a look at this ad for the Obama campaign in Ohio and you’ll see how tough both sides are going to battle for this state. It’s still the ultimate battleground state:
The last time Ohio voters didn’t pick the winner in a presidential election was 1960. Republican Richard Nixon won the Buckeye State, but Democrat John F. Kennedy won the nation.
Since 1964, no other state has had such an unbroken string of siding with the winner.
No one can know until Nov. 6 whether 2012 will uphold Ohio’s record as the pre-eminent swing state or end its reign, but neither the Obama nor Romney campaign is taking a chance.
“The tipping-point states appear to be Virginia and Ohio,” said Chris Redfern, the Ohio Democratic Party chairman. He said the state party will run the biggest state campaign organization in the country.
“What we look at is building an infrastructure that can turn out as many votes for the President as possible in all of Ohio’s 88 counties,” Mr. Redfern said.
Right now I think Obama has the edge with the success of the Auto bailout and the fact that Romney backed Issue 2.
Obama leads GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney by seven points in the latest state poll by the Democratic-leaning pollster PPP, besting the former Massachusetts governor 49-42. Rick Santorum trails the president by 6 points, 48 to 42. Obama also beats Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul by by 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Obama’s numbers are up 8 points since the last PPP poll.
This is very bad news for Mitt Romney, as there’s really no way he can win without Ohio. Romney’s problem is that he supported SB5 and Issue 2, and there’s video to prove it.
The voters of Ohio soundly defeated Issue 2, thus repealing SB-5, the union-busting bill pushed by Governor Kasich.
Here is Kasich’s reaction, and you can see that he has been repudiated and perhaps humbled a bit by this smack-down. Kasich has been known for his arrogance and his combative style, so this is a real departure for him.
Kasich’s overreach gets put to the test in tomorrow’s election.
A new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Ohio Democrats and public employee unions likely to win a big victory on Tuesday in the referendum on Republican Gov. John Kasich’s anti-public union bill, SB-5.
The poll shows only 36% of Ohioans will vote to support the law, while a decisive 59% oppose the bill and will vote to repeal it.
Kasich’s own approval mirrors those numbers, with only 33% approval and 57% disapproval. Kasich was elected in the 2010 Republican wave, defeating incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland by a 49%-47% margin. However, when asked if they could vote again, the respondents in this poll chose Strickland by a 55%-37% margin.
The campaigns are heating up and we’re seeing quite a bit of political activity around Issue 2 leading up to the November elections. Governor John Kasich’s signature initiative, Senate Bill 5, has defined the political climate in this state since Kasich got elected and rammed this through the legislature.
The unions in Ohio were stunned, as this issue united them against the governor and the new law. Police and fire fighter unions were included in the bill, and many in these unions used to support the governor. All of that has changed, and now there’s a united effort to repeal the bill with Issue 2. You’re seeing all the commercials on television, and the poster printing companies will be very busy as the state is covered with yard signs.
The issue is also getting national attention, as this issue has galvanized the left and the union movement. Like Wisconsin, Ohio has become ground zero in this battle and will tee things up for epic fights in 2012.
Mitt Romney visited Ohio and immediately got himself into trouble by flipping and flopping his way to another incoherent set of positions. He ends up in a place where he 110% backs the Governor’s position, which may help him in the GOP primary but will definitely hurt him in a general election.
