Red State Regrets The Ohio Poll, run by the University of Cincinnati, shows that George Bush's popularity has dropped in this solidly Red State by 21 points over the last 6 months. According to the poll, the President stands at 55% approval, 43% disapproval, from 76%/20%. The approval of his handling of Iraq was slightly lower, at 53%
Even more troubling for Bush, Rademacher said, is that a majority of Ohioans now say he is handling the economy wrong. That's important because Ohio is a battleground state in the 2004 election. No Republican has won the White House without winning Ohio.
[. . .]
Bush beat Al Gore in Ohio in 2000 by 4 percentage points. Bill Clinton won Ohio in 1992 and 1996.
And, The Cleveland Plain Dealer claims that the Democrats intend to fight for Ohio's electoral votes.
Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the DNC, said the next Democratic presidential nominee will not repeat Al Gore's mistake of abandoning Ohio in the final weeks of the 2000 election.
"We are here to stay," said McAuliffe, who spoke to Cleveland political and business leaders yesterday as part of a three-day campaign to promote tomorrow's Democratic presidential debate in New York.
Though Bill Clinton won Ohio twice, Gore lost the state to George W. Bush by less than 4 percentage points. Many Democrats still believe that if Gore had not stopped campaigning here a month before the November election, he would have won Ohio and the presidency.
[. . . ]
The DNC already is sending money and people to help the state party. "We have never done this before this early," McAuliffe said, noting that the DNC typically waits to send money until just a few months before the election.
6:50:17 AM 
|
|
