Politics of Ohio: Difference between revisions
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Historically control of [[Ohio]] has oscillated between the two major parties. [[Ohio Democratic Party|Democrats]] and [[Ohio Republican Party|Republicans]] are pretty evenly matched in Ohio government. The governor, [[Ted Strickland]], is a Democrat, as are all other non-judicial statewide elected officials save for one: [[Lieutenant Governor of Ohio]] [[Lee Fisher]] ([[Ohio Democratic Party|D]]), [[Ohio Attorney General]] [[ |
Historically control of [[Ohio]] has oscillated between the two major parties. [[Ohio Democratic Party|Democrats]] and [[Ohio Republican Party|Republicans]] are pretty evenly matched in Ohio government. The governor, [[Ted Strickland]], is a Democrat, as are all other non-judicial statewide elected officials save for one: [[Lieutenant Governor of Ohio]] [[Lee Fisher]] ([[Ohio Democratic Party|D]]), [[Ohio Attorney General]] [[Richard Cordray]] ([[Ohio Democratic Party|D]]), [[Ohio State Auditor]] [[Mary Taylor (Ohio politician)|Mary Taylor]] ([[Ohio Republican Party|R]]), [[Ohio Secretary of State]] [[Jennifer Brunner]] ([[Ohio Democratic Party|D]]), and [[Ohio State Treasurer]] [[Kevin Boyce]] ([[Ohio Democratic Party|D]]). |
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In the [[Ohio State Senate]] the Republicans have firm control (21-12), while in the [[Ohio House of Representatives]] the Democrats control the delegation (53-46). The [[U.S. Congressional Delegations from Ohio|Ohio Congressional Delegation]] is relatively pared as well. 10 representatives are Democrats, 8 are Republicans. One [[United States Senator|U.S. senator]], [[George Voinovich]], is a Republican, while the other, [[Sherrod Brown]], is a Democrat. All the [[mayor]]s of the ten largest cities in the state ([[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]], [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], [[Toledo, Ohio|Toledo]], [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]], [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], [[Youngstown, OH]], [[Canton, OH]], [[Parma, OH]], [[Lorain, OH]]) are [[Ohio Democratic Party|Democrats]]. |
In the [[Ohio State Senate]] the Republicans have firm control (21-12), while in the [[Ohio House of Representatives]] the Democrats control the delegation (53-46). The [[U.S. Congressional Delegations from Ohio|Ohio Congressional Delegation]] is relatively pared as well. 10 representatives are Democrats, 8 are Republicans. One [[United States Senator|U.S. senator]], [[George Voinovich]], is a Republican, while the other, [[Sherrod Brown]], is a Democrat. All the [[mayor]]s of the ten largest cities in the state ([[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]], [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], [[Toledo, Ohio|Toledo]], [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]], [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], [[Youngstown, OH]], [[Canton, OH]], [[Parma, OH]], [[Lorain, OH]]) are [[Ohio Democratic Party|Democrats]]. |
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Revision as of 09:23, 19 August 2009
Historically control of Ohio has oscillated between the two major parties. Democrats and Republicans are pretty evenly matched in Ohio government. The governor, Ted Strickland, is a Democrat, as are all other non-judicial statewide elected officials save for one: Lieutenant Governor of Ohio Lee Fisher (D), Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray (D), Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor (R), Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D), and Ohio State Treasurer Kevin Boyce (D).
In the Ohio State Senate the Republicans have firm control (21-12), while in the Ohio House of Representatives the Democrats control the delegation (53-46). The Ohio Congressional Delegation is relatively pared as well. 10 representatives are Democrats, 8 are Republicans. One U.S. senator, George Voinovich, is a Republican, while the other, Sherrod Brown, is a Democrat. All the mayors of the ten largest cities in the state (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Youngstown, OH, Canton, OH, Parma, OH, Lorain, OH) are Democrats.
Due to a close split in party registration and historical electoral importance, Ohio was considered a key battleground state in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. The state was vital to President George W. Bush's election chances, as it is a state he won by nearly 4 points in 2000 and by the fact that no Republican has ever been elected President without winning Ohio. In the election, Bush won the state with 51% of the vote, giving him its 20 electoral votes and the margin he needed in the electoral college for re-election. Since Republicans started winning elections, it has voted with the winning candidate except for Grover Cleveland (in both 1884 and 1892), Franklin D Roosevelt in 1944 and John F Kennedy in 1960.
In addition, Ohio's electoral vote total has been declining for decades. For the 2004 election, it has 20 electoral votes, down from 21 in 2000 and down from a peak of 26 in 1968. It is the fewest electoral votes for Ohio since 1828, when it cast 16 electoral votes. Ohio cast 3.71 percent of the total electoral votes in 2004, the smallest percentage since it cast 3.40 percent of the votes in 1820.
With Ohio being such a large and diverse state, with nearly 12 million citizens, Ohio has always been a major influence in politics. Eight President's have hailed from Ohio, they are: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding.