19 Newsmakers: Episode 22: How this election could flip the Senate, the House

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Every Monday, 19 News anchor Brian Duffy interviews the people who are shaping the present and future of Northeast Ohio.

As the election approaches, 19 Newsmakers takes a big-picture look at what’s on the line nationally and locally. Host Brian Duffy sits down with Jonathan Entin, a professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law with a political science background, to unpack everything from hard-hitting political ads to the battle for control of Congress — and what it all means for Ohio voters.

Entin explains why negative ads keep flooding the airwaves, saying campaigns aren’t just trying to persuade undecided voters but also to “motivate [their] base” and sometimes discourage weak supporters of the other side from turning out at all.

He breaks down the stakes in the fight for the U.S. Senate and House, noting that Democrats have a path to flipping the Senate but face tough odds in several Republican-leaning states, while mid-decade gerrymandering makes sweeping seat changes in the House less likely.

Entin also explains why the governor’s race matters more for state policy than for national bragging rights, and then turns to what many viewers will feel most directly: local property tax levies. Using Cuyahoga County’s Issue 10 and 11 as examples, he says that in a time of high inflation and economic stress, “when people are feeling economically stressed, they’re not going to be enthusiastic about paying more in property taxes… that’s true whether we’re talking about school levies or any other kinds of levies,” adding that “renewal levies tend to do a lot better than new ones” because they keep bills at the same level instead of raising them.

Learn more about Brian Duffy.

New episodes of “19 Newsmakers” are available weekly wherever you find podcasts. Streaming every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on 19 News platforms.