Fix on Ohio

The Fix has a primer on today's Ohio primary--which has several important races, including three key House primaries and a gubernatorial primary that likely will yield an African-American (and very conservative) GOP nominee. Despite the state GOP's abysmal poll ratings, the best the Dems can hope for in the state is a gain of one House seat, and that's only if scandal-plagued Bob Ney doesn't drop out. Another Republican would probably hold his district.

Stuart Rothenberg recently noted that the Ohio River (not a location that would immediately spring to mind as a political battleground) could be viewed as the focal point in this year's battle for the House. Nine districts, beginning with WV1 and ending with KY2 and including several seats in Ohio, KY, and Indiana, bordering the river are potentially competitive.