The race for the White House is tight in Ohio, with President Barack Obama holding a slight lead in the state that some pollsters say holds the key to the presidency. It’s still a toss-up in the Buckeye State.
Ohio is on the economic mend — the Lordstown GM plant is humming, along with a brand new billion-dollar steel plant and the discovery of shale natural gas — but can Obama take credit? Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich talked with workers and undecided voters on this battleground to find out.
Though Ohio is critical for both candidates, it is even more so for Governor Romney. "Mitt Romney essentially can't win unless he wins Ohio," Zwillich says.
"It's a feel good story for people living there," Zwillich says. But for the politicians in close races, it's all about taking credit. "For the politicians, it's a must win story."
"It's a good situation in northeastern Ohio, but does Barack Obama, the incumbent, get all the credit? Not really. It's complicated," Zwillich says. He spoke to some people who gave full credit to the president for his auto bailout, which Mitt Romney famously opposed. But another voter Zwillich spoke with said that although he voted for the president in 2008, and thinks he's done a good job, he thinks President Romney would be more favorable for his company's interests.
As in the last election, early voting is critical, especially in Ohio. "Every single person that votes early, for either side, they're locked in, their minds can't be changed after that, you don't have to worry about them."
