A Swing State in Flux

There are signs that the debate over the death penalty in Ohio is intensifying, from the American Bar Association report I mentioned in my October 15th post to an article questioning Ohio's application of the death penalty in the Akron Beacon Journal, printed yesterday. Now, Ohio clergy are gathering signatures for a letter to Democratic Ohio Governor Ted Strickland which condemns capital punishment in Ohio. The current situation is particularly politically interesting as it represents a convergence of opinion between the prominent religious factor in middle-American, swing state Ohio, which was given a large amount of credit in determining the 2004 Presidential Election, and the more liberal, democratic portions of the state. Both of these groups are opposed to the death penalty, and a "coalition" (I use the term loosely, informally, and only with respect to their views on capital punishment) like this in such a crucial electoral state could have very interesting ramifications on the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election.