Ohioans have been voting by mail and at boards of election since April 10, and we’re just days away from the final results after the polls close on Tuesday. 55 of the 99 of the Ohio House races on this year’s ballot are contested primaries, with 17 incumbents facing opponents. Of the 17 Senate races, 11 have primaries with 5 incumbents facing opponents. There’s also a Republican primary for US Senate. But the race getting the most attention is the one at the top. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles has been talking to the candidates for governor.
Of the 435 Congressional district races on the ballot this year, only a handful are really considered competitive and up for grabs in November. In most districts, the primaries are where the winners will be decided. One open seat in Ohio - Jim Renacci's seat in the 16th Congressional district - is getting a lot of attention as a barometer of the split showing in the Republican party nationwide on President Trump.
A group that advocates for low-income people has issued its annual report on the state of poverty in Ohio. And while there’s good news – for instance, the number of people in poverty is trending down – there’s also a lot of grim statistics – on the opioid crisis, on childcare and education costs, and on how people are struggling to meet basic needs. The report is produced each year by the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies – a group of 48 agencies serving 1.7 million people in poverty across the state. It's lead by Phil Cole.