Tim Ryan faces formidable foe in Hagan

October 23, 2020

Before the 2012 election, Ohio Republican leaders divided the state into 16 congressional districts, purposely bunching large areas of Democratic voters into four specific districts and going to extreme lengths to create 12 that benefit their political party. Republicans gerrymandered the state making, at best, two of their districts slightly competitive so Democrats could have an outside chance of perhaps winning one or the other. However, a Democratic victory in any of those 12 districts has yet to happen. In 2008, when Ohio had 18 congressional districts, Democrats held 10 of the ...

Trump, Biden bypass Valley

October 16, 2020

With early voting underway in Ohio and less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 election, there’s a lot of political activity in the Mahoning Valley. But one thing we have yet to see in our area is a campaign visit from either the Republican or Democratic presidential or vice presidential candidates. If the Valley doesn’t get one, it would be the first time in decades we haven’t been a campaign stop. Yes, Vice President Mike Pence was at the June 25 unveiling of Lordstown Motors Corp.’s Endurance truck and touted the work of President Donald Trump, and later spoke at the ...

Conflict ramps up in Trumbull GOP

October 9, 2020

There is no love lost between Trumbull County Republican Party Chairman Kevin Wyndham and Niki Frenchko, a GOP candidate for county commissioner challenging incumbent Democrat Dan Polivka. While the friction between the two has been going on since before the primary, it’s hit a boiling point in the past few months. Frenchko raised numerous objections to the inclusion of Dennis Malloy – an independent challenging other incumbent Democratic commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa – on the Republican slate card. “The party is doing something unlawful, not right and not compliant with ...

Time to let the voting begin

October 2, 2020

Early voting for the election starts Tuesday in Ohio, and, based on my conversations with local election officials, it’s going to be the way at least half of the voters cast ballots. There’s still two more presidential debates and a vice presidential one, though you can vote before you see any of those. After watching the first presidential debate and how it quickly degenerated, how many of us want to view another one or two? Regarding the debate, the two most interesting perspectives I heard were from Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairwoman Joyce Kale-Pesta and Trumbull ...

Court opening widens political divide

September 25, 2020

As if there weren’t enough issues dividing the country, Republican senators will have confirmation hearings to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. The decision isn’t surprising as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done remarkable work keeping his caucus in line. Only two Republican senators said they oppose confirming a Supreme Court justice in a presidential election year at a time when early voting has started in some states and will begin soon in several others. The two senators don’t come as a surprise to those who follow politics. Susan ...

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

September 18, 2020

There’s a saying in politics that signs don’t vote. I don’t necessarily agree with that. Sure, signs in ditches or on vacant properties don’t mean anything. But if you’ve got a Donald Trump or a Joe Biden sign in your yard, there’s a very strong chance you’re voting for your candidate. Now imagine how hardcore you’ve got to be to have flags or even banners all over your house and / or yard. Your sign, flag and banners aren’t going to convince other people to vote for Trump or Biden. No one is going to drive past a house with a dozen signs and three flags in ...