Articles by Christina Suttles

Energy experts now say that the “Rebirth of the Rust Belt” may emancipate the United States from much of its oil dependency by the year 2020, with states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan on the front line. The International Energy Agency released a study that suggests the US will surpass Saudi Arabia’s title as the world’s largest oil producer in less than a decade, with a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which has put oil and natural gas output on a striking rise. ...

Although battleground Ohio went to President Obama by roughly 2 percentage points in the general election, Republicans secured spots in the US House of Representatives with an overwhelming majority. The state’s Republican administration is being widely criticized for, what some are calling, exploiting the redistricting process to get there. In twelve of the state’s sixteen districts, or three-quarters of Ohio’s representation in the House, Republicans won in apparent landslides, with Democrats ...

Atif Cheema/The Daily Northwestern Young people may have sealed President Obama’s re-election, according to a series of post-election tallies. While there was concern about the political interest of voters aged 18 to 29, this demographic came out to the polls in record numbers Tuesday. According to a Gallup Poll published in July, only 58 percent of registered young voters in the United States said they would "definitely vote" in the 2012 election. This statistic was well below the 78 percent ...

While a majority of the pubic eye is stationed on Ohio's presidential poll numbers, the Ohio Senate race could have serious implications for the country as well. The race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel is officially the fifth most expensive this election cycle. The candidates have raised more than $30 million total and the outcome of the race may very well determine which party holds the majority of the Senate come Election Day. As of now, ...

Photo: Kevin Dietsch Ohio has become the political focal point of the 2012 election. As the race for the state tightens -- by roughly 5 points in Obama’s favor -- both candidates struggle to resonate with the millions of blue-collar workers who are affected by an idle economy. Though Ohio’s 7 percent unemployment rate is below the national average, manufacturing jobs have been consistently hit the hardest. More than 2.1 million jobs, or 76.9 percent, of jobs displaced by trade to China between...

Photo Courtesy: AP/PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS; AP/CHARLES DHARAPAK There is no denying Ohio will play a considerable role in the November 6 election. Recent polls from TIME magazine and CBS News have put President Obama ahead of Governor Romney by 5 points. Obama's gains in Ohio, however, may not be as significant as the campaign had hoped, given that the margin has been cut in half since September, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. The Quinnipiac poll reports the president holds a 50 to 45 pe...

Photo Credit: Ohio Tourism Division, www.DiscoverOhio.com In Ohio, much like elsewhere in the United States, elected officials are responsible for rewriting geographic districts every 10 years in an effort to keep up with political, racial, linguistic, religious or socio-economic shifts throughout the state. would shift redistricting power in the state by amending the Ohio Constitution. The initiative would convert the way the state’s Congressional and legislative boundaries are drafted by barr...

The State of Ohio asked the US Supreme Court Friday to block a ruling that allows all registered voters to cast ballots during the three days leading up to the Nov. 6 election, continuing the battle over early voting rights in that state. The plea was filed with Justice Elena Kagan after a heated legal battle between the Obama campaign and Ohio’s Republican-led administration over the extent that early voting should be offered to residents. Early voting began on Oct. 2 in Ohio, but residents w...

In a bipartisan effort to abate overcrowding in state prisons, Ohio’s Senate Bill 337 went into effect last week, reducing Ohio drug penalties and giving convicted felons a second chance at employment. The measure, which was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich (R) and sponsored by Sen. Shirley Smith (D) and Sen. Bill Seitz (R) last June, was overwhelmingly approved by both houses of the General Assembly. The primary purpose of the legislation is to eliminate some of the employment barriers tha...