Last week, President Barack Obama cut a swath through northeast Ohio as he campaigns for re-election.
Making stops in Maumee, Sandusky, Parma, the Akron area, and Youngstown, the president’s visit illustrates the importance of the Buckeye State.
The hard reality is that, if he fails to carry Ohio, his chances for a second term are critically impeded.
Political scientists, politicians, and pundits all know that how Ohio votes can make or break a presidential contender or an incumbent president for that matter.
It is no secret that the hard hit Mahoning Valley has lost its luster for the president due in large part to the ongoing bleak job market in that section of the state.
Rural Ohio, along the Ohio River, have never been fans of the president, especially since he called on more stringent EPA requirements for the coal industry – an industry that puts food on the table in Appalachia.
So it’s no wonder that President Obama is spreading his message of “more to be done” throughout Ohio.
While polls show that African-Americans and Hispanics support the president in large numbers, some of those numbers are starting to erode.
Obama swept into office with a promise of “hope and change.” Three and a half years later, Hispanic unemployment is 11 percent. The African-American unemployment rate is around 16 percent.
These are not good numbers and the president knows it.
That’s why he must continue to articulate a message that there is more to be done for America and he’s the right man for the job.
Yes, Ohio is critical to the president’s re-election.
He knows that all too well.
