Election important, not exciting

October 11, 2019

There’s not a great sense of excitement about this general election. Odd-year elections are often that way. There’s no election for president, state officials, Congress, the state Legislature or even countywide seats. There’s not even a statewide issue on the ballot this year. And there’s little doubt that turnout is going to be very low — I mean ridiculously low. The directors of the boards of elections in Mahoning and Trumbull counties recently told me they expect about three out of every four registered voters to stay home. They likely were being optimistic with ...

Long-shot Ryan plays long game

October 4, 2019

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan has a plan for his presidential bid, but does his long-shot campaign have momentum to last? As long as Ryan’s campaign stays lean and he doesn’t burn through his limited funds, he can remain in the race. But surviving is not an effective way to run for president of the United States. He desperately needs to grow his campaign, and so far, he hasn’t shown signs of that. He recently made a solid addition hiring Dennis Willard to handle communications. But that’s not a permanent hire, and Ryan’s communications department has changed hands numerous times in ...

O’Rourke listens in Lordstown then goes after Trump

September 27, 2019

Beto O’Rourke came to Lordstown to listen. It wasn’t a typical campaign stop for a presidential candidate, particularly one who is lagging in the polls and needs the attention. But the former Texas congressman scored a few points — though he’s likely to be out of the campaign by the time Ohio has its Democratic primary, March 17, 2020. An idled General Motors plant makes an excellent backdrop — and O’Rourke went to two of them in Ohio. The first was Tuesday in West Chester and then to Lordstown the following day. O’Rourke spent his time in Lordstown listening to ...