Politics

Howard Wilkinson: Politics and More

0000017a-3b40-d913-abfe-bf44a4f90000Howard Wilkinson joined the WVXU news team as the politics reporter and columnist in April 2012 , after 30 years of covering local, state and national politics for The Cincinnati Enquirer. On this page, you will find his weekly column, Politically Speaking; the Monday morning political chats with News Director Maryanne Zeleznik and other news coverage by Wilkinson. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Wilkinson has covered every Ohio gubernatorial race since 1974, as well as 16 presidential nominating conventions. Along with politics, Wilkinson also covered the 2001 Cincinnati race riots, the Lucasville prison riot in 1993, the Air Canada plane crash at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 1983, and the 1997 Ohio River flooding. And, given his passion for baseball, you might even find some stories about the Cincinnati Reds here from time to time.

The Critical Importance Of Ohio In Presidential Elections, Now And Through The Years

91.7 WVXU | By Maryanne Zeleznik

Published July 14, 2016 at 4:00 AM EDT

Kyle Kondik along with Howard Wilkinson and Mark Heyne will talk about Ohio's importance in presidential elections at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's downtown branch on Monday, September 19 at 7pm. Admission is free.

Ohio has been deemed the bellwether state when it comes to presidential politics, and for good reason.

Since the 19th century, John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt have been the only Democrats to lose Ohio yet win the presidency. And no Republican has ever lost the state and gone on to win the White House.

In his new book, ?The Bellwether: Why Ohio Picks the President,? University of Virginia Center for Politics Director of Communications and Sabato?s Crystal Ball Managing Editor Kyle Kondik explains why the state proves pivotal in presidential elections. Kyle Kondik joins us, along with Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler, and WVXU political reporter Howard Wilkinson, to discuss "The Bellwether" and the role Ohio will play in this year's presidential race.