CLEVELAND — In the latest edition of the 3 Things to Know with Stephanie Haney podcast, the question on the table is: With power in Washington, D.C. swinging from the right to the left, what kind of an impact will Joe Biden's presidency have on Ohioans?
To answer that question, I came at from both sides of the aisle, in separate conversations with Democratic US Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown, and Republican strategist Mehek Cooke, who served as legal advisor for former Ohio Governor John Kasich when he ran for the republican presidential nomination in 2016.
Sen. Brown and Cooke each speculate about just what it will mean for Ohio, a state which voted for current President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, to have the White House, the US House of Representatives and the US Senate under Democratic control.
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If you ask Sen. Brown, he's optimistic about Biden's ability to show Ohio that a Democratic president is positive for the state.
"He will be an appealing presence in Ohio," Sen. Brown told me.
"I know he lost Ohio. Ohio is, as you point out Stephanie, increasingly harder for a Democrat to win. But I won here decisively only a couple of years ago. Joe Biden’s politics now are not much different from mine, and I think people will get more and more to appreciate the work he does to help people get jobs, to raise wages, to provide health and pension benefits to people, and that will matter."
However, Cooke has a different outlook, and is concerned that Biden may be too liberal for our increasingly conservative state.
"It’s going to be interesting how Joe Biden works with Ohio because we are Republican-controlled," Cooke told me.
"During the Georgia races he made several comments that he was going to be the most progressive president. That is not what Americans need right now. We want a solid foundation where we can protect the safety of our families, our communities, ensure that we can get back to work, and reopen Ohio."
In wide-ranging interviews, we address everything from the deadly riots in D.C. and Trump's historic second impeachment, to who should be responsible for how COVID-19 vaccines are distributed, along with their predictions for the economy, student debt relief, the opioid epidemic and whether Ohio will legalize recreational marijuana.
Plus, 3News reporter Brandon Simmons shares why The Original Pancake House in Woodmere is the breakfast spot that you Need to Know in NEO, and I break down why Boss Ladies of CLE is such A Good Follow on Instagram.
For both full conversations, just search for '3 Things to know with Stephanie Haney' wherever you get your podcasts, or follow your preferred link below:
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