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David Skolnick

Issue backers count on poor turnout for primary election

When the bar is set so low, getting a little above it or a little below it isn’t much of an accomplishment. Right before the election, Stephanie Penrose, Trumbull County Board of Elections director, expected turnout in the county at 10%. She said: “We’ll be lucky to break 10%. Nothing is really driving turnout. Turnout will be really low.” Penrose, who is always optimistic about turnout projections, added: “I hope a bunch of people will show up on Election Day and prove me wrong.” Trumbull’s turnout was 11.17%. Tom McCabe, director of the Mahoning County Board of ...

AG Yost won’t stand down in 2026 race for governor

In the 2026 Republican primary for Ohio governor, Attorney General Dave Yost finds himself facing an uphill climb against Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur who’s never held elected office. As many Republicans, including in Ohio, have found out, it’s not what you know but who you know that leads to victory. In 2022, political newcomer J.D. Vance, a venture capitalist best known for writing his life’s story at the age of 31, emerged from a crowded Republican field to capture the party’s nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat. Donald Trump’s endorsement of ...

Kale-Pesta left her mark on local elections, politics

The impact Joyce Kale-Pesta had on Mahoning County elections and politics was remarkable and will remain with us long after her recent death. I was fortunate to know Kale-Pesta for the past 25 years, covering politics in the Mahoning Valley. Long before I came to this area, Kale-Pesta served as secretary for the Mahoning County Democratic Party, starting in 1978 under Don Hanni Jr., its longtime chairman. Kale-Pesta was hired in December 1988 as a clerk at the county board of elections. When I started covering politics in September 2000, I first met Kale-Pesta at the county’s ...

Enthusiasm bubbles over for Ramaswamy and Walz

The biggest takeaway from the Mahoning County Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner, headlined by Vivek Ramaswamy, and the town hall with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is that this area is not lacking in political enthusiasm. This is the case even though the presidential election was five months ago, and we’re in an off-election year with only local government candidates on the ballot. The statewide election is more than a year away. The impact of that presidential election is being felt with Republicans still excited about Donald Trump’s victory and his subsequent policies with a ...

O’Neill faces daunting challenge in 14th District Congress race

Democrat Bill O’Neill, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, faces an uphill battle next year when he challenges U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce for the 14th Congressional District seat. O’Neill, a Chagrin Falls Democrat, is no stranger to voters — particularly in this congressional district — ...