Ohio No Longer A Battleground State: Some D.C. Insiders Think It Is Already Blue For 2008

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio is supposed to be so firmly in the blue column that it has lost its status as the nation's key presidential election battleground. That's the word in a U.S. News Washington Whispers item that is out today. Can't say that I agree. And I imagine that few GOP and Dems who are familiar with Ohio politics would say the state is a slam dunk for the Democrats next year. Indeed, most polls show Republican Rudy Giuliani running extremely strong against whomever gets the Democratic nomination -- no sense linking to those polls because everybody who follows politics has seen them and studied the results.

Ohio is and will be a competitive state. It may be leaning blue right now because the Dems had a great year at the state level in 2006 when they elected a governor, U.S. Senator, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. No question the Dems are ascendant, but that does not translate into a sure thing in presidential politics.