With the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer, the governor campaigning for the nation’s highest office and two political titans clashing for a seat in the U.S. Senate, Ohio is once again the epicenter of U.S. politics.
From Cleveland to Cincinnati, campaigns are being mounted for the November election.
Kasich on the national stage
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is flying under the radar in the national media coverage of the White House race. Unfortunately for the Donald Trumps of the world, his record cannot.
Under Kasich, over 300,000 jobs have been created, an $8 billion budget gap was closed while taxes were cut, and Ohio Chamber-backed programs like JobsOhio and the Common Sense Initiative were enacted.
Kasich has paired successes as Ohio’s top executive with his victories as a budget hawk in Washington, D.C., to argue that he’s uniquely qualified to become president.
With “establishment” candidates not gaining the traction forecasted by mainstream pundits, Kasich has an opportunity to build momentum going into Ohio’s primary.
Portman v. Strickland: Ground zero for Senate Republicans
If Mitch McConnell and his colleagues in the U.S. Chamber hope to maintain a majority, Sen. Rob Portman’s performance on election night will be paramount. Portman probably will face former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland in his re-election bid.
Strickland is in a primary that has fractured the state Democratic Party in a classic establishment vs. outsider feud. Likely victorious in his primary, Strickland is a formidable candidate that can push Portman to the brink if the winds favor Democrats on election night.
Portman has committed to fostering a healthy business climate on the national level. Thus, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce presented him a Spirit of Enterprise Award, recognizing his 92 percent voting record on pro-growth, pro-jobs policies.
Polling shows the race in a dead heat. Portman has an impressive fundraising network and has traveled the state extensively. These may be too much for Strickland.
Defending supermajorities
The 2016 political landscape looks vastly different for incumbent members of the Ohio House of Representatives.
In 2014, the national political landscape combined with a weak Democrat at the top of the ticket provided Ohio Republicans with historic victories. These margins won’t be as wide in a presidential election year when the electorate typically expands.
In his first year at the helm of the House GOP caucus, Speaker Cliff Rosenberger has a 65-member majority over the 34 seats controlled by Minority Leader Fred Strahorn and the House Democratic Caucus.
On the senate side, fresh off the 30-year anniversary of majority in the upper chamber, Republicans will play defense.
With five Republicans departing due to term-limits, three of which are districts in major metropolitan areas, Sen. President Keith Faber will lean heavily on the caucus’ fundraising advantages to win both the air and ground wars.
But General Assembly candidates will be at the mercy of national politics; TV ad buys in Ohio are projected to cost more than they ever have. Statehouse candidates will need to distinguish themselves with grass-roots campaign strategies.
This coming year, Ohio again will be in the crosshairs of the U.S. political world for “as Ohio goes, so goes the nation.”
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