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Campaign Trail

Super Tuesday states face serious economic issues

Elizabeth Wynne Johnson Mar 2, 2012

Jeremy Hobson:Well, here in this country, we’re just a day away from Super Tuesday, when voters in 10 states will choose who they want the Republican presidential nominee to be.

And one of the biggest contests to watch will be Ohio, as Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports.


Elizabeth Wynn Johnson: This week, Ohio is to Mitt Romney as New York is to Frank Sinatra. University of Maryland economist Peter Morici ticks off the factors that make Ohio stand out as a predictive microcosm.

Peter Morici: It has a finance sector as big as manufacturing. It has a lot of high-tech and green energy. So it looks a lot like the future.

Ohio’s 7.9 percent unemployment is slightly better than the national average. Its evangelical Christian voters may not be inclined to stray from a social values agenda.  So Romney has no choice but to rely on his economic message to convince voters he’s better.  

Morici: If you’re happy with your Chevy, why switch to a Ford? Ford has to be qualitatively better.  It has to be different.  And the real question is, does Mr. Romney really offer that?

There will be a lot of eyes watching to see how Super Tuesday answers.

In Washington, I’m Elizabeth Wynne Johnson for Marketplace.

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