If you would like Senator Kerry to win Ohio, you need John Wolfe on your side..;-)
Posted : October 23, 2004 at 4:46 pm [America/Los_Angeles]
Although unknown to the vast majority of the US public, John Wolfe might be the man who could shape their future. And he could make his move as soon as tomorrow (10/24/2004).
Mr Wolfe is owner and publisher of the Columbus Dispatch, a daily newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, whose presidential endorsement is considered the most sought-after in the entire US. Never has that been more so than this year.
With polls in the crucial battleground state of Ohio showing John Kerry and George Bush neck and neck, persuading just a handful of undecided voters could make the difference between victory and defeat when it comes to 2 November.
“Our endorsement is up for grabs,” Ben Marrison, the paper’s editor since 1999 and a member of the editorial board, told the Editor and Publisher journal. “It has become a jump-ball.”
The Dispatch has not endorsed a Democrat since 1916; just the fact that the paper is strongly considering a Kerry endorsement is startling. “If you looked at our editorials over the past four years, it might look like we are not very happy with the President,” Mary Ann Edwards, an editorial writer, said.
While there are several other daily papers in Ohio, the location of the Dispatch makes it particularly important. Most strategists agree the north of the state tends to support the Democrats and the south is where the Republicans are strongest. Smack in the middle, where these groups theoretically meet, is Columbus.
I will have my fingers crossed 
Update (10/23/2004 23:12 PM PDT):
Dispatch endorses President Bush! 
- Anand
Category: United (or not) State of American Politics 2004