An important election is just around the corner. Ohio will elect a new governor and decide who will represent the state in the U.S. Senate. A new poll provides a snapshot of what voters are thinking, and the results are interesting.
The big headline from the Bowling Green State University poll is that the governor’s race is a dead heat. The BGSU poll shows Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton are basically tied. Ramaswamy has 48% support while Acton has 47%. That 1-point margin is well within the poll’s 3% margin of error.
In the race for the U.S. Senate, the same poll showed that the contest is also basically tied. Jon Husted has a 3-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Sherrod Brown. This also remains within the poll’s margin of error.
Given the political angst and polarization in the country, the results should come as no surprise. However, the poll gives Democrats hope and Republicans pause that deep-red Ohio could see tinges of blue after the November election.
Joining us to dissect the poll is Bowling Green State University political science professor Robert Alexander. He directs the BGSU Ohio poll.
Snollygoster of the week
Leaders of the effort to abolish property taxes in Ohio need to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures to get their amendment on the ballot in November. They are not close to their goal.
Here are the numbers. They must collect at least 415,000 valid signatures. Because many signatures turn out to be invalid, groups generally must collect double that number, perhaps 700,000.
The group held a news conference last night and announced with great fanfare that they have collected 300,000 signatures. They have two months left to finish the task.
This group has put fear in the hearts of local and state officials that they might succeed and immediately cut off $24 billion in tax revenue that largely supports schools and local services.
However, they appear to lack the organization to pull it off. They have not raised enough money and have not hired a professional signature collection firm.
But they have put the issue front and center. They have more than a quarter-million Ohioans signing on the line saying they want to get rid of property taxes. This issue will not go away. If this amateur group does not succeed, a more professional anti-tax group with more resources will.
For that, regardless of their inexperience and odd tactics, the group pushing the property tax abolishment gets our Snollygoster of the Week award.