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David Skolnick

Senate race spotlights abortion

Abortion and women’s reproductive rights are major election issues, particularly since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. It’s no different in the U.S. Senate race in Ohio between Sherrod Brown, the incumbent Democratic senator seeking his fourth six-year term, and Republican Bernie Moreno, a former car dealer and blockchain owner. The matchup is considered one of the most competitive Senate races in the country and could decide which political party controls the upper chamber. In Ohio, voters approved a constitutional amendment in November to ensure ...

DeWine draws cheers, jeers over opposition to redistricting ballot issue

The Nov. 5 ballot will have a proposed constitutional amendment on it to change how state legislative and congressional districts are drawn. Gov. Mike DeWine admits the current system that gives control over those maps to politicians — overwhelmingly Republicans, including himself — ...

Campaign money flows much more easily to incumbents

In political elections, money is the main reason for the success of candidates. The more you get, the better your chances for winning — and if you’re an incumbent with a big financial lead over your opponent, you’ve got a better than 98% chance of getting reelected. Political action committees, the driving force that funds congressional campaigns, are much more likely to give money to incumbents. In the two congressional races on the Nov. 5 ballot in the Mahoning Valley, there is evidence. Based on what we’ve seen so far, the incumbents — Republican Dave Joyce in the ...

What Ohio’s Vance brings to GOP presidential ticket

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, didn’t select Ohio’s Sen. J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate for his political experience. Vance’s fewer than 19 months in elected office probably works to his advantage. Prior to Trump winning the presidency in 2016, he had never held public office. Trump has successfully convinced many that elected officials — particularly those who serve in Congress or presidential administrations — are part of the “D.C. swamp” that has hurt the country. Vance wasn’t selected so Trump could win Ohio, once a swing ...

A no-win situation for Democrats

The 14th Congressional District is relatively competitive on paper, but that’s not the reality. The district favors Republicans by about 9.7% based on statewide partisan voting results during the past decade. Before redistricting in 2022, the district favored Republicans by 9.4% for the previous decade. Yet, the closest a Democrat ever got to a Republican was in 2018 when Betsy Rader lost to U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, by 10.4%. Joyce’s other victories were lopsided. Joyce won by 23.4% in 2022, 20.2% in 2020, 25.2% in 2016, 30.3% in 2014 and 15.3% in 2012, his first year ...

Valley Republicans move up

Republican Bill Johnson’s Jan. 21 resignation from the U.S. House put in motion a series of moves during the past few weeks that led to the election of his replacement and the appointment of two others to state legislative positions. Also, those two Republican appointees won’t have to ...