The nation is deeply divided and despite rhetoric to come together, don’t expect that to happen. Many Republicans still dislike — even hate — Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and feel the same about Joe Biden. Plenty of Democrats despise George W. Bush, and I can’t print what several ...

Kevin Wyndham said he is resigning Feb. 1 as Trumbull County Republican Party chairman primarily because the job is too demanding. This is the third time a Mahoning Valley political party chairman left the position early in recent years. Mark Munroe retired Feb. 21, 2019, as Mahoning ...

The Ohio Democratic Party’s executive committee will meet Thursday to select a new leader and will elect the first woman to the position. It’s almost certain Liz Walters, Summit County Council president and former state party executive and political director, has the necessary votes. ...

One lesson from the recent state legislative races in the Mahoning Valley is Republicans in Ohio are better funded and better organized than their Democratic counterparts. Despite the $1.3 billion nuclear power plants bailout scandal involving the former speaker of the House and four other ...

Losing is hard — and for some in politics, accepting defeat is impossible. Outgoing President Donald Trump, and many of his supporters, refuse to accept the fact that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump continues to tweet falsehoods (to be polite) to outright lies (to be accurate) about ...

The person who takes over as chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party has a monumental task. Despite claims from some, Ohio is solid purple in many ways. Going back to 1990, Democrats have won statewide executive branch offices in only 2006 and Republicans have a stranglehold on the state ...

With U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in the political fight of his life, he was able to do something he’s struggled to do his entire time in Congress: Raise a respectable amount of money when it was desperately needed. Ryan, D-Howland, received a remarkable $584,186 between Oct. 1 and Nov. 3 in a race ...

During this past election in Ohio, a record number of votes were cast early largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The final percentage for this election was 58.6. In typical years, early voting makes up a much smaller percentage of total ballots cast. For example, in 2016, it was 33.5 ...

Secretary of State Frank LaRose should be complimented for a smooth presidential election in Ohio during very difficult conditions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there’s always room for improvement that will hopefully occur. LaRose is unlikely to get support from fellow Republicans in ...

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan couldn’t have been more clear. After years of talk of him running for statewide office, Ryan, D-Howland, said he’s very happy staying in the U.S. House. But that’s as long as his congressional district lines don’t change too drastically making the seat more ...

Many of the races in the Mahoning Valley went under the radar this election because the presidency, as it does every four years, took center stage. But there are two races — one each in Mahoning and Trumbull counties — that I want to dive deeper here. The Trumbull County race had ...

Most elected officials in Mahoning and Trumbull counties are Democrats, and that’s not likely to change for years. But advances Republicans have made here in just two elections are not only remarkable, but historic. Much credit goes to someone who hasn’t stepped foot in the Mahoning ...

Nearly all of the attention in this election is on the presidential race. After all, it’s the main — and in some cases, the only — reason why people are voting this year. Mahoning Valley results should be interesting given that Donald Trump became only the third Republican since 1936 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

It shouldn’t be that complicated to overturn House Bill 6. There are three bills in the Ohio House and one in the state Senate to repeal the legislation that bailed out two failing nuclear power plants. The $60 million that allegedly changed hands — to former House Speaker Larry ...