A lot has happened this year for both Ohio State and the nation. One of them is the November general election.
The election was one of the biggest political topics for Ohio this year, and much of the most popular political content revolved around it.
See the political topics Ohioans read most about this year.
JD Vance
This year, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (Republican) will be sworn in as the next vice president and will join President-elect Donald Trump in the White House in January. Spectrum News 1 covered his journey to the Oval Office this year, and some of its coverage was the most-read story of the year.
Based in Middletown, Ohio, it started in Vance’s childhood home. Spectrum News 1 reporter Sheena Elzy went there to talk to the family currently living in her childhood home. The family discussed how people have come from all over the country to take pictures of the house and said they were concerned about what Vance would do with the house if he became the next vice president. Click here for details.
J.D. Vance’s family lives in his childhood home in Middletown, Ohio. (Spectrum News 1/Sheena Elsey)
Additionally, a 2021 podcast resurfaced this year in which Spectrum News 1 anchor Curtis Jackson spoke with Vance about why he ran for the Senate seat to succeed then-Sen. Rob Portman. Listen here.
After being sworn in as vice president-elect, many people wondered what the process would be to fill his Senate seat and who would fill it. Washington, DC reporter Harri Leigh breaks down the leading candidates. You can read its contents here.
recreational marijuana
In 2023, Ohioans voted to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The law went into effect earlier this year and has become one of the most read topics in politics this year.
Nikko Griffin, left, and Tyra Patterson greet arriving voters in the parking lot of the Hamilton County Board of Elections during early voting in Cincinnati on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn)・Custer)
Spectrum News 1 followed the process leading up to legalization, from tracking when businesses can open to outlining what is and isn’t illegal to own. Spectrum News 1 reporter Sheena Elsey met with pharmacies to explain how they were preparing the product before it was available for sale. Please read here.
Once Spectrum News 1 became available for purchase, Spectrum News 1 took a closer look at the laws and regulations surrounding it to better inform the people of Ohio.
election
Mr. Vance covered the most important topics in Ohio, but there were also many election-related topics, from rallies to local issues and everything in between. A lot happened this year related to the election, and Ohioans were well aware of it.
This year, Trump faced an assassination attempt at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania in July. Trump was shot in the ear, and the rally immediately descended into chaos. Trump was able to recover, but the gunman left one person dead and two others injured.
(AP photo)
At the local scale, residents wanted to know about issue one. Issue 1 would change the way Ohio’s districts are drawn by creating a citizen-led commission. The problem has failed, so the current process will remain in place.
Digging deeper into the election scene, history was made all over again. Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Capture defeated her opponent, Republican Rep. Derek Merrin, in a tight race, continuing her winning streak as the longest-serving woman in the history of the House of Representatives.
Reporter Harry Lee also covered Ohio’s electoral history and how the state, once a battleground state, lost influence as it moved to the right. As they say, “Where Ohio has gone in the past few years, so has the nation gone.” Winners in the Buckeye State won national elections from 1964 to 2020, and the state It took a sharp turn to the right, ending its leadership position. Click here for details.
