By Bradley Dick ’16, Contributor.
In the closing months of the presidential election the nation will turn its eyes to southwest Ohio — more specifically, Hamilton County.
Why is this? Hamilton County happens to not only lie in the swing state of Ohio but also had identical results to the rest of the nation in 2008. (Barack Obama won 52.87% to John McCain’s 45.6% of the national vote and 52.98% to 46% in Hamilton County) In 4 of the last 5 general elections Hamilton County has accurately predicted the winner of the Presidential race. Hamilton County is not only a “bell weather district”, which means it is a major predictor of how the results from the rest of the nation will go, but also a microcosm of the rest of the nation, in that it is home to every type of voter from rural conservatives to wealthy liberals.
In fact, Hamilton County is so important that President Barack Obama himself visited Eden Park in Hamilton County on Monday, September 17th and his Vice President and running mate Joe Biden visited Ohio a week before, stopping at Milford High School.
However, theirs wasn’t the only party visiting Ohio. From the Romney Campaign, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan visited northern Ohio and Mitt Romney visited Ohio to start his victory tour. It seems as if Ohio is getting all of the attention.
As of September 17th, Barack Obama is leading in the national polls 47% to Mitt Romney’s 46% . As of the same date in just Ohio, Barack Obama is leading 47% to 46%. Both know they need to win Hamilton County, as well as Franklin County (Columbus). These counties are important to both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, because they are both swing counties inside of an already major swing state. With most of Ohio’s 88 counties already firmly in one candidate’s corner or the other, these two counties will decide who wins in Ohio and possibly the White House.
If it seems that political ads are everywhere these days, that’s because they really are. In Ohio, not taking into account outside spending by political action committees, both parties have spent $12.1 million on advertising. When spending by outside agencies is included, the number skyrockets—in the Cincinnati viewing market (Hamilton County) alone, the number is over $10 million. And if it feels that this campaign is more negative than usual, that’s because 79% of political advertisements this cycle are negative. Whether the ad is on Pandora or Youtube, or during a college football game, there is a good chance it is casting the opponent in a negative light.
Is this a bad thing? My answer is no. Even though you may completely despise of all of this partisanship fighting, you will be a more informed citizen. After all, one can’t form an opinion on an issue without fully understanding where both sides are coming from. Though you may not be able to vote this time around, your opinion as a citizen does matter, because one day it will be up to you to decide which name you check. In a county that plays a major role every election, your vote truly will matter.
Information from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/track-presidential-campaign-ads-2012/?tid=rr_mod
Image courtesy of: http://images.politico.com/global/2012/04/120405_obama_romney.jpg
