After reading through the final unofficial elections results by precinct in Lake County, it was interesting to see how Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama did in the two communities where they appeared to campaign.

Basically, in each community where they appeared for a campaign rally they lost.

Romney visited Lake Erie College in Painesville on Sept. 14 and Obama visited Mentor High School on Nov. 3.

Despite Romney’s appearance in the city, Painesville residents tended to vote for Obama giving him 3,976 votes to 2,114 for Romney. That means Obama won the city by 1,862 votes.

To compare, despite Obama’s appearance just three days before the election, Mentor voters sided more with Romney giving him 13,583 votes to 11,266 for Obama. That gave Romney a 2,317 victory in Mentor.

Overall in Lake County, Romney had 57,150 votes or 49.91 percent to 55,219 votes or 48.22 percent for Obama.

That translates to Romney carrying Lake County by a 1,931 votes, but it wasn't enough for him to win Ohio.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The presidential election Tuesday is just a couple days away and there are many races for voters to decide.

With that said, several races in Lake and Geauga counties and Ohio were tough for me to predict winners and I could be wrong on quite a few, but here are some of them (not meant to imply endorsement).

President (Ohio winner)

Candidates: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

Comment/Prediction: Obama. Very close and Romney could win; we might not know the winner Tuesday.

U.S. Senate

Candidates: Sherrod Brown, Josh Mandel

Prediction/Comment: Brown. Ohio’s nastiest race; Mandel could win if Romney carries Ohio.

14th Congressional District

Candidates: Dale Virgil Blanchard, David Joyce, David Macko, Elaine Mastromatteo

Prediction/Comment: Joyce. Elected experience, large campaign warchest and Steve LaTourette’s blessing; Blanchard got little party support.

Ohio House District 60

Candidates: Lori DiNallo, John Rogers

Prediction/Comment: Rogers. Toss-up. Democratic district helps Rogers only able to campaign two months.

Ohio House District 61

Candidates: Susan McGuinness, Ron Young

Prediction/Comment: Young. Incumbent should hold serve.

Ohio House District 76

Candidates: Matt Lynch, Tom Warren

Prediction/Comment: Lynch wins the Republican-leaning district.

Ohio House District 99

Candidates: Casey Kozlowski, John Patterson

Prediction/Comment: Patterson. Close, despite adding parts of Geauga, district still leans Democratic.

Ohio Senate District 18

Candidates: John Eklund, Jim Mueller

Prediction/Comment: Eklund. Lots of help from Republican Senate campaign, but Mueller could make it close.

Ohio Senate District 32

Candidates: Capri S. Cafaro, Nancy McArthur

Prediction/Comment: Cafaro. Incumbent has spent much more money in Democratic leaning district.

Lake County commissioner Jan. 2 term

Candidates: David M. Fiebig, Judy Moran

Prediction/Comment: Moran. Toss-up, Moran has edge with previous countywide run and higher name ID.

Lake County commissioner Jan. 3 term

Candidates: Robert E. Aufuldish, John R. Hamercheck

Prediction/Comment: Aufuldish. Close, but if he wins the Madison area, he’s re-elected.

Lake County clerk of courts

Candidates: Maureen G. Kelly, Emily Teresczuk

Prediction/Comment: Kelly. Incumbent should win fairly comfortably.

Lake County prosecutor

Candidates: Werner Barthol, Charles E. Coulson

Prediction/Comment: Coulson. Longtime prosecutor wins.

Lake County recorder

Candidates: Ann Radcliffe, Jason Wuliger

Prediction/Comment: Wuliger. He got an appointed head-start on the job and has spent a lot of money to keep it.

Lake County treasurer

Candidates: Lorraine M. Fende, Bob Patterson

Prediction/Comment: Fende. High name ID and the long-time office holder should win.

Geauga County commissioner Jan. 2 term

Candidates: Tracy Jemison, Fred Welty

Prediction/Comment: Jemison. It will be difficult to knock out the incumbent.

Geauga County commissioner Jan. 3 term

Candidates: Christopher John Lacny, Ralph Spidalieri

Prediction/Comment: Spidalieri. After winning a contested GOP primary, he’s the favorite.

Geauga County commissioner unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014

Candidates: Jim Dvorak, Mary Samide

Prediction/Comment: Dvorak. This would mean Democrats get a seat at the commissioners’ table.

Ohio Supreme Court Jan. 1 term

Candidates: Robert W. Price, Terrence O’Donnell

Prediction/Comment: O’Donnell. I'll pick the incumbent here.

 

Ohio Supreme Court Jan. 2 term

Candidates: William M. O’Neill, Robert R. Cupp

Prediction/Comment: O’Neill. Does his issue about judges and money resonate with voters?

 

Ohio Supreme Court unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2014

Candidates: Yvette McGee Brown, Sharon L. Kennedy

Prediction/Comment: Brown. Appointed justice keeps seat on the bench.

 

11th District Court of Appeals Feb. 9 term

Candidates: Mary Jane Trapp, Colleen M. O’Toole

Prediction/Comment: Trapp. Trapp prevails in this rematch.

 

Geauga Common Pleas Court judge

Candidates: Forrest Burt, Scott Matasar

Prediction/Comment: Burt. Matasar campaigned hard, but I think Burt wins.

 

Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court

Candidates: Tim Grendell, Timothy Snyder

Prediction/Comment: Grendell. It’s really hard to pick against him in any race.

 

Geauga County coroner

Candidates: Robert S. Coleman Jr,, Robert A. Evans

Prediction/Comment: Coleman. Might be close as Evans is a name people might remember.

 

Geauga County clerk of courts

Candidates: Bonnie Cavanaugh, Denise Kaminski

Prediction/Comment: Kaminski. Incumbent should prevail.

 

Geauga County recorder

Candidates: Sharon Gingerich, JoAnne Ryan

Prediction/Comment: Gingerich. Republican should win.

 

Geauga County prosecutor

Candidates: Jeffrey J. Fanger, James Flaiz

Prediction/Comment: Flaiz. I'll pick the Republican here too and he's Geauga Bar Association president.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

With President Barack Obama set to speak Saturday morning at Mentor High School, campaign officials urged voters to cast their ballots early.

Robert Schiebli, vice-chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, spoke during a press conference Friday afternoon at the Obama campaign’s Mentor field office.

He urged people not to forget their right to vote and to support the president.

“We’re fighting to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known — the promise that hard work will pay off, responsibility will be rewarded, and that everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share and plays by the same rules,” Schiebli said.

Obama’s appearance comes just three days before the election as both Republican candidate Mitt Romney and Obama know how important Ohio is to each’s chance for victory.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, R-Ohio, will begin a statewide get-out-the-vote bus tour on Saturday in support of Romney, Josh Mandel and Ohio Republicans running for Congress.

Boehner will appear at Lake County Republican Party headquarters in Painesville for an event that begins at 6 p.m.

At each stop, Boehner will thank volunteers, tout local candidates, and draw a clear contrast between Romney’s plan to create jobs.

State Rep. Ron Young, R-Leroy Township, will also give a speech at the Boehner event in Painesville and he plans to discuss the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and this year’s elections.

In-person absentee voting is set to conclude Monday as voters may go to their respective county elections boards from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Curiosity is what brought Becky Moorman to a get tickets Thursday at President Barack Obama’s campaign field office in Mentor.

Moorman, a Mentor-on-the-Lake resident, considers herself an independent voter, so she stood in line to get a chance to see Obama for herself Saturday morning during a rally at Mentor High School.

She believes Ohio will be a key for the presidential election.

“I think it means Ohio is a weighing factor,” Moorman said.

For much of the day, lines extended out the door of the Obama campaign’s Mentor field office, 7537 Mentor Ave.

Deb Druhot of Willoughby is a volunteer with the campaign at the Mentor facility.

Druhot and other campaign volunteers are excited to have the president speak in Lake County.

“It means a lot,” she said. “There have been a lot of people in Lake County working really hard on this, we’re pretty pumped.”

Doors for the event open at 9 a.m. Saturday and a ticket is required. Tickets were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at this location and were to be distributed until they run out.

Another message volunteers continue to work on is to encourage as many people as possible to vote through Tuesday, Druhot said.

Willoughby resident Jamie Barnes said this will be her first chance to see the president in person.

“I have missed every other opportunity to see President Obama and I would like to participate in this,” Barnes said. “It’s very close to voting and he knows if he doesn’t get the state he doesn’t have much of a chance.”

Other field offices that were distributing tickets are located at 35560 Vine St. in Eastlake; 216 E. Main St. in Painesville; 5192 Chillicothe Road in South Russell; and 2205 Lake Ave. in Ashtabula.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

There are just nine days left until the Nov. 6 election and it’s been a long campaign season.

For many political folks, this election cycle has been the longest in memory, effectively beginning more than a year ago when Republican presidential hopefuls started their campaigns.

In Ohio, the filing deadline for partisan races was 11 months ago, with the filing deadline just weeks after the November election. Many local campaigns kicked off shortly afterward.

Ohio has a reputation as a swing state and that is reflected by the enormous amount of advertising — much of it negative — conducted during the presidential campaign and the tight race for U.S. Senate between incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican.

With 18 electoral votes at stake, Ohio continues to be a central focus for incumbent President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. We’ve seen more than five dozen visits from presidential campaigns during this election cycle in Ohio.

That’s because both sides know how critical the state could be for victory, especially since no GOP nominee has ever been elected president without carrying Ohio. No Democrat has done so since 1960 when President John F. Kennedy was elected.

There are only a handful of states considered by polls to be a toss up —  Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin. Most other states are considered to lean or be solidly in one candidate’s corner.

With that in mind, for months Ohio airwaves have been flooded with commercials and continuous coverage by national talk shows and news media that dissect every bit of the presidential campaign and that includes the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate.

This all continues even as many people have made up their mind in Ohio because absentee voting by mail and in-person began Oct. 2. Nearly two million voters in the state have already utilized this option, reports Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

Many local candidates have concluded or will soon wrap up their fundraising and now concentrate on using their remaining time and resources to let people know just a little bit more about them with the hope they’ll remember their name at the polls.

There’s been a lot of knocking on doors, parade marching, phone calls, literature drops and candidate forums and debates.

That election season is slowly coming to a close and soon it will be time to learn just how all that effort pays off.

J.C. Watts appearing in Mentor

Former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, of Oklahoma, a former college football quarterback and conservative Republican, speaks today in Mentor with the Concerned Veterans for America bus tour titled, “We Can Do Better”.

The event will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Mentor Civic Center Amphitheater as part of a 10-day East Coast bus tour of decorated military veterans traveling through campaign “swing states” prior to Election Day to generate awareness of the mounting challenges facing service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and veterans of all generations.

The bus tour, sponsored by Concerned Veterans for America will allow veterans and voters in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ohio and across the nation to hear directly from leaders in the veterans’ community about critical issues.

Candidate event

Soup and crackers lunch with David M. Fiebig, candidate for Lake County commissioner, 11:30 to 1 p.m. Monday at Surfside Towers Party Room in Eastlake.

Candidate endorsements

For any Nov. 6 candidates who have earned endorsements (not from The News-Herald), feel free to email them or fax them. Because of the volume and space required to list them, these items will not be printed in this column. Instead, they’ll be posted periodically until Nov. 2 on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics Blog at NorthernOhioLocalPolitics.blogspot.com.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman will visit Mentor and Chardon on Friday afternoon as part of the Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus, according to Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Portman, R-Ohio, will appear at the Mentor Victory Center, 7488 Mentor Ave., at 1 p.m. and later will head to Geauga County Republican Party Headquarters, 11993 Ravenna Road, Chardon, for a 2:30 p.m. appearance.


Portman plans to lay out the choice he believes voters face in November between two very different visions for our nation’s future.

At each stop, Republican supporters will hold Commit to Mitt Early Voting events and make phone calls from the bus reminding people to vote early or return their absentee ballots. The Early Vote Express tour kicked off October 2 and has since visited 63 counties.

The senator who has actively been an active part of Romney campaign efforts will also make stops in Avon Lake, Fairview Park and Kent as part of the effort to encourage Ohioans to vote early for the GOP ticket.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Check out this audio segment (embedded below) produced by The Takeaway titled "The Seven Ohio Voters Who Will Determine the Election," which features what John Hockenberry referred to as, "The Lake County, Ohio, Bellwether Committee."



The Takeaway also produced a piece called The Most Important State in the Country, which starts with: "How important is Ohio? Though not as big as Florida, and with lower voter turnouts than Wisconsin, Ohio has been on the winning side of every presidential election since 1964. With its geographic and religious diversity, the state is increasingly seen as a microcosm for American voting preference at large."

Lake County was in the national spotlight again last week when the CBS Evening News came to the area to do a story about how the county traditionally has been a bellwether for Ohio’s vote for the presidential election.

The segment was timed to go along with the release of a Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll.

Prior to the poll’s release on Wednesday most national polls showed the race for president in Ohio between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was tight, with no front runner.

With Ohio still in play as a swing state, the CBS Evening News crew called and later stopped by The News-Herald to interview me to gauge what I believe are some of the issues important to Lake County voters and how the presidential race was playing out locally.

I spent a good 20 to 25 minutes doing an on-camera interview with CBS Correspondent Dean Reynolds, who peppered me with all kinds of questions that I did my best to answer.

We talked about how the county is a blend of urban, suburban and rural lifestyles and beliefs; how population represents a lot of what makes up Ohio and has been noted by other news organizations as the county that most closely reflects how the state as a whole votes.

Obama won Lake County in 2008, while President George W. Bush carried the county in 2004 and 2000.

As a journalist, it was a great experience to see how a national news crew operated. I was both excited and nervous as I waited for the segment to air Wednesday.

Of course, when I finally watched the program I wasn’t included, much to my disappointment. Those are the breaks.

The segment revealed the poll showed Obama with a 10-point lead over Romney in Ohio. So I’m guessing a lot of what we talked about during the interview probably became irrelevant and the show’s producers took the segment into a different direction, leaving me out.

I can understand that. Hey, I’m in the news business, and I know stories can change very quickly.

Of course, it’s only one poll and people are welcome to cast doubt over its validity.

But I will say that a lot can change during the next five weeks or so, such as country’s and state’s unemployment rates could dramatically change. Plus, the candidates will have a chance to make a final impression during a series of debates.

So with voting for the Nov. 6 election starting Tuesday, make sure you take the time to discover which candidates reflect what you believe and then cast your ballot. Don’t let others make these decisions for you when you fail to vote.

 

State Bar Association releases ratings

The Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Candidates released its ratings for Ohio Supreme Court candidates.

Receiving ratings of highly recommended were Justices Yvette McGee Brown and Robert R. Cupp. Justices Terrence O’Donnell, William O’Neill and Michael J. Skindell received ratings of recommended. Judge Sharon Kennedy received a rating of not recommended.

The Bar Association’s evaluation process rated each candidate individually according to the Commission’s eight criteria. A rating of highly recommended was awarded to any candidate who received favorable votes from at least 70 percent of the 25-member panel. Sixty percent of favorable votes from the panel earned a rating of recommended, while anything below 60 percent received the not recommended rating.

 

Candidate forum

A Meet The Candidates forum for Lake County candidates will be held today at 1 p.m. in the Father Kline Social Center of Saint John Vianney Parish and will be moderated by a League of Women’s Voters representative.

 

Fundies

n  Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy hosts his Fall Classic and Clam Bake, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, 5 p.m. dinner Monday at Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course in Willoughby. See Troy or Kip Molenaar.

n Werner Barthol, candidate for Lake County prosecutor, hosting Oktoberfest 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at Lake Metroparks Painesville Township Park Community Center/Ballroom. See Kelly Barthol or James Falvey.

n Ron Young, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts wine tasting from Wine Sommelier and Spirit Expert Gene Segal of South River Vinyards, 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8 at Quail Hollow Country Club. See Young.

n Fall clambake for John Rogers, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 60, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Mentor Beach Park in Mentor-on-the-Lake. See Rogers or John Crocker.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson will be having a live town hall meeting tonight, streamed live on his website, www.GaryJohnson2012.com. Information from the Facebook event below:

A special Live National Townhall with Gov. Gary Johnson will take place this Wednesday, September 19th at 7:00 pm EDT

The program will feature our new commercials, as well as the finalists for the fan video contest. Gov. Johnson will also take questions during the town hall.

We encourage you to find a local viewing party for the Live National Townhall! Check your state’s Facebook page for more information on the closest viewing party near you. You can also watch the townhall by visiting www.GaryJohnson2012.com. Viewing is free.

The campaign to re-elect President Barack Obama will open a field office tonight in Eastlake.

Mayor Ted Andrzejewski will provide remarks during the event that begins at 7 p.m. at 35560 Vine St.

The Obama campaign said the Eastlake office will serve as a community hub for 2012 election activities in Lake County and this office opening is just the latest step in building up the campaign infrastructure across Ohio as election season ramps up.

Andrzejewski will thank volunteers for their efforts to help re-elect Obama and discuss the choice in this election between two fundamentally different visions of how to grow the economy, create middle-class jobs and pay down the debt.

Campaign officials said the choice is between Obama’s vision of moving America forward to an economy built to last with a strong middle class at its core or Mitt Romney’s vision of going back to the same “top-down” economic policies that crashed our economy and punished the middle class.

Following the speaking program, supporters will participate in a statewide night of action, hitting the phones to talk to their friends and neighbors about the stark choice in this election.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Having trouble figuring out who should get your vote for president? Check out Project Vote Smart's Vote Easy.

You can answer questions about national issues and rank the importance of each. With every question you answer, the lawn signs for the candidates will move forward or backward, depending on how much the candidate matches up with you. The signs even display nifty percentages to let you know how closely the candidates match up with your beliefs.

If you want to learn more about any of the candidates, you can click the lawn signs to where they stand on every issue. If you've already answered questions, you can see whether your responses match with theirs.

It's a pretty nice and easy way to bypass all the commercials and speeches to find out exactly what the candidates think.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dale Fellows confirmed that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will attend a private fundraiser in Lake County on Sept. 14.

The event, not open to the public, will be held at the home of Ed Crawford, who has hosted other GOP presidential candidates before, most recently former President George W. Bush.

Fellows said it is his understanding that at some point before the Nov. 6 election, Romney will appear in Lake County for a public rally.

“We’ve been told he would be, it’s just a matter of when,” Fellows said.

GOP officials also continue work to have Romney’s running mate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan come to Lake County as well, Fellows said.

Ryan appeared Tuesday in Westlake.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The campaign for President Barack Obama opened an office Monday at 5192 Chillicothe Road, in South Russell.

Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman Janet Carson spoke to a crowd of local Obama supporters.

Carson thanked volunteers for their dedication to re-elect Obama and to discuss the choice between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s different visions of how to grow the economy, create middle-class jobs and pay down the debt.

People interested in volunteering for the campaign or more information can www.mybarackobama.com or www.geaugadems.org.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The campaign for Presidential candidate Mitt Romney opened an office Monday at 7488 Mentor Ave, Suite D, in Mentor.

U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, spoke to a crowd before cutting the ribbon to officially expand the Republicans operation.

“Ohio plays an important role in determining the President and the opening of these offices reinforces our commitment to running an aggressive grassroots operations in Ohio and defeating Barack Obama in November,” LaTourette said in a news release distributed by the Romney campaign. “We have assembled a great team and we will work tirelessly to rally volunteers and supporters in every corner of the state — that’s what wins elections and that’s what we’re focused on.”

People interested in volunteering for the campaign may call 440-352-0704.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to uphold the nation’s health care law is a huge win for President Barack Obama.

But what will the political implications be for the November election? Will Obama get a boost after the history court ruling?

The legal win may present a political mixed blessing for the president’s re-election campaign because it is likely to rally conservative voters and people who generally oppose the law.

Obama’s signature piece of legislation during his first term isn’t the most popular law ever passed in terms of political support from the general public.

It will be up to Obama, the White House and the re-election campaign and supporters to continue to tout what they feel are the new law’s benefits.

The president began that effort with a speech Thursday at the White House, where he acknowledged that people will dissect who the winners and losers are politically from the Supreme Court’s decision.

“But today, I’m as confident as ever that when we look back five years from now, or 10 years from now, or 20 years from now, we’ll be better off because we had the courage to pass this law and keep moving forward,” Obama said.

Often mentioned by supporters and the president is that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and that children can now stay on their parents’ policies until they are 26.

But Affordable Health Care For America Act opponents, who dub the law Obamacare, now have new ammunition to say the president has raised taxes.

That’s because the court upheld the provision of the law that requires everyone to purchase insurance because they considered the mandate can be construed as a tax.

Chief Justice John Roberts said “The payment is collected solely by the IRS through the normal means of taxation.”

That likely will be in many of Mitt Romney’s advertisements and already after the ruling it was mentioned by many Republican and conservative leaders, who will also attack the law as big government.

Another helpful item for the GOP is they are relieved the immediate pressure to come up with a plan to replace the health care law that will remain on the books unless enough support can be drummed up in Congress to repeal it.

That would have been especially difficult during an election year trying to get something passed that has become so partisan in nature.

If Obama wins re-election, be assured the new law will stay in place, so that puts even more pressure on Republicans to win both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Fundies

n Judge Mary Jane Trapp, 11th District Court of Appeals Court, will host Night with the Captains at 6 p.m. July 11 at Classic Park in Eastlake. See Mike Apicella.

n David Fiebig, candidate for Lake County commissioner, golf outing July 13 at Black Brook golf course in Mentor 9:30 a.m., 5 p.m. dinner. See Dale Fellows or Cindy Quinn-Hopkins.

n Eastlake Mayor Ted Andrzejewski eighth annual golf outing 8:30 a.m. shotgun start July 13 at Pine Ridge Golf Course in Wickliffe. See Ted or Patricia Andrzejewski.

n Fundraiser for Jason Wuliger, candidate for Lake County Recorder, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 16th at the home of Judy and Roger Sustar, with special guest U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette. See Susan Culotta.

n Susan McGuinness, candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 61, hosts a summer BBQ at 5:30 p.m. July 19 at Perry Township Park. See Lindsay D. Baruffa.

n Geauga County Sheriff Daniel McClelland hosts 2012 Rib Dinner, 6 to 8 p.m. July 20 at Troy Community House in Troy Township. See Craig Richter.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

President Barack Obama will travel to Cleveland for a campaign event Thursday afternoon at the Cuyahoga Community College Recreation Center.

The Obama for America campaign announced ticket distribution information for members of the public with additional event details for the public and for the media to be forthcoming.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required for entrance. One ticket per person will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To pick up a ticket, visit one of the following locations beginning today at 5 p.m.:
 
* Cuyahoga Community College Recreation Center, East 30th Street and Community College Avenue, Cleveland.

* Organizing for America Shaker Square Office, 13100 Shaker Sq. Cleveland.

* Organizing for America Parma Office, 5734 Ridge Rd., Parma.

* Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Headquarters, 1466 St. Clair, Cleveland.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@NewsHerald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Vice President Joe Biden will travel to the Mahoning Valley area this week where he is expected to discuss impacts of President Barack Obama’s efforts to strengthen the region’s manufacturing and auto industries, as well as bolster middle-class security for Ohio’s workers, the Obama campaign announced.

The two-day tour will include stops in Youngstown and Martins Ferry, additional details are expected to be announced soon.

In remarks at M7 Technologies, an advanced manufacturing facility in Youngstown, and Staffilino Chevrolet, a family-owned dealership in Martins Ferry that was saved by the rescue of the auto industry, Biden will discuss the Obama’s efforts to create an economy built to last – one where hard work pays off, responsibility is rewarded and everyone plays by the same set of rules.

Biden will also draw a contrast with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s commitment to return to policies that created the economic crisis and put the economic security of the middle class — in Ohio and across the country — at risk.

The Republican National Committee said Biden’s visit will serve as a reminder of how the past three years have gone for the country.

“After highlighting a company in an Ohio TV ad earlier this week that outsourced jobs to Hungary, Vice President Biden’s visit next week will only remind Ohioans that they’re worse off after three years of Obama and Biden’s failed policies,” said spokesman Ryan Mahoney. “Whether it’s the Obama Administration’s skyrocketing energy prices, or soaring debts and deficits, Ohioans simply can’t afford four more years of Barack Obama.”

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney will appear today in Lorain today at the former National Gypsum Co. plant, the Lorain Morning Journal reports.

Romney, who is virtually assured of winning the GOP nomination, visits the county the day after President Barack Obama appeared Wednesday in Elyria at Lorain County Community College.

The Morning Journal reports that Romney will speak at 12:45 p.m., according to Helen Hurst, chair of the Lorain County Republican Party.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: newsheraldjah

I came across this graphic on Visually about who would be leading the presidential race if it were based on social media and Web traffic. No stock should be put into this whatsoever, but I found it interesting how the number of followers/fans differs among the Republican candidates.

via

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl