Keep those eyes on bellwethers Ohio & Pennsylvania

How Pennsylvania and Ohio vote in November will likely determine who wins the White House, argues political columnist Salena Zito:

From her latest column in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Ohio and Pennsylvania are microcosms of the Democrats' national difficulties in trying to win the House, said Kyle Kondik, author of “The Bellwether: Why Ohio Picks the President” and manager of the University of Virginia's Crystal Ball, the respected online political website.

“Democrats have a path to the House majority but the Republican advantage in Ohio and Pennsylvania helps illustrate their challenges,” Kondik said.

Republicans control 12 of 16 House seats in Ohio and 13 of 18 in Pennsylvania — overwhelming majorities in two states that Obama won twice and that, at the moment, Democrat Hillary Clinton is favored to win in November, despite close polling against
Republican Donald Trump.

In Ohio, Democrats don't really have credible targets, according to Kondik. Rep. David Joyce in Ohio's 14th Congressional District is vulnerable “on paper, but after Joyce won his primary, there's not much buzz about that race.”

Salena Zito: Keep those eyes on bellwethers Ohio & Pennsylvania