Salena Zito

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Biden's Words Fall on Deaf Ears in Ohio

By Salena Zito (May 20, 2012)

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Dave Betras is known in “The Valley” for his colorful language and his political antics and drama. Last Wednesday, however, when Vice President Joe Biden... more

Election Will Be All About Economy, House Speaker Says

By Salena Zito (May 15, 2012)

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner says the country is at odds with Washington lawmakers on the economy and people will see the evidence in the November... more

The Average White Guy Vote

By Salena Zito (May 13, 2012)

CANTON, Ohio-Rudy is the quintessential average white guy, right down to his last name. "It literally is Guy," he said, laughing at the irony. Born in New Eagle and raised... more

Ohio, PA House Races Impact Obama

By Salena Zito (May 06, 2012)

LISBON, Ohio – The two-lane Lincoln Highway passes sparkling creeks, tree-lined valleys, coal-mine entrances and mom-and-pop motel lots filled with the muddy trucks of... more

The Jacksonian-Jeffersonian Vote

By Salena Zito (Apr 29, 2012)

SOUTH PARK, PA-John Opfar sat in the front row of a short riser at Consol Energy's South Park R&D facility just before Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took to a... more

Ohio Tepid Toward Obama on Jobs

By Salena Zito (Apr 23, 2012)

ELYRIA, Ohio- Knocked off message for a second week by messy Secret Service and GSA scandals, President Obama on Wednesday tried to salvage things with a jobs rally among... more

Main Street women think for themselves

By Salena Zito (Apr 15, 2012)

BEDFORD, Pa. – Judy’s Motel is a cheery gem, a classic motor lodge just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the Bedford Village historic district. Its red-brick exterior... more

'Mommy Wars' a Trigger Issue With Women

By Salena Zito (Apr 14, 2012)

As the White House scrambled Thursday to prevent "mommy wars" damage done by a Democratic advisor, one expert cautioned that politicians need to learn to communicate with... more

Exceptionalism Is Key for Mitt

By Salena Zito (Apr 08, 2012)

TUNKHANNOCK, Pa.- Mitt Romney stood in a closet-sized room just before taking the stage where an old sawdust mill once sat, the nearby Endless Mountains framing his... more

Romney Confident He'll Win Pennsylvania in Fall Election

By Salena Zito (Apr 05, 2012)

HARRISBURG — Republican front-runner Mitt Romney considers Pennsylvania a key swing state for the fall presidential election and is certain he will win here, he told the... more

It's the Economy, Mister President

By Salena Zito (Apr 01, 2012)

GETTYSBURG– The owner of Tommy Gilbert’s Hobby Shop expects summer’s tourist season to be impacted by what he calls an “alarming” rise in... more

Primary Contest May End Before Pennsylvania

By Salena Zito (Mar 29, 2012)

Less than a month before the Republican presidential primary in Pennsylvania, some experts warn that Rick Santorum faces a second humiliating defeat in a state he represented... more

Obama's Coal Problem in Battleground States

By Salena Zito (Mar 25, 2012)

VAN METER, Pa. -- Unless you happen upon the chunk of coal marking where 239 men died in the old Darr Mine, now along the Great Allegheny Passageway trail, you’d... more

Jeb Bush: It's Time to Support Romney

By Salena Zito (Mar 22, 2012)

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says Republican front-runner Mitt Romney has earned the right to take on President Obama in November. "It is time to get behind the nominee,"... more

Santorum's Tough Road Home

By Salena Zito (Mar 18, 2012)

Pennsylvania’s Republican presidential primary last counted in 1980, when Ronald Reagan lost to George H.W. Bush in a nasty battle. Bush won the popular vote – but Reagan... more

Santorum's Catholic Problem

By Salena Zito (Mar 12, 2012)

As a devout Mormon, Mitt Romney was the presidential candidate experts anticipated could have a problem winning over Catholic voters. Instead, exit polling from recent... more

Young Voters Are Engaged and Civil

By Salena Zito (Mar 11, 2012)

CLEVELAND - Sitting on a platform of temporary risers, a massive American flag covering the wall behind them, three young people anxiously awaited Mitt... more

Ohio; Portrait of America

By Salena Zito (Mar 04, 2012)

STEUBENVILLE – This Ohio River town once was an outpost of the Wild West, guarding surveyors who mapped the land beyond. Fort Steuben was named for Baron Von Steuben,... more

Battle Between Dems for Murtha Seat Just Got Ugly

By Salena Zito (Feb 28, 2012)

  Everyone expected Jason Altmire to face a messy primary battle this spring with fellow Democrat Mark Critz, after their Western Pennsylvania congressional... more

Legendary Dem House Seat May Go Down on Sloppiness

By Salena Zito (Feb 26, 2012)

Everyone expected Jason Altmire to face a messy primary battle this spring with fellow Democrat Mark Critz, after their Western Pennsylvania... more

Could Next Tie Doom Electoral College?

By Salena Zito (Feb 19, 2012)

WASHINGTON – The politics behind who governs here dabbles in the absurd so often that absurdity is practically normal. So it is not ridiculous to consider that the next... more

Pennsylvania Still a Tall Order For Obama

By Salena Zito (Feb 12, 2012)

During a drive between the Mon Valley towns of McKeesport and Elizabeth, a man named Ray was overheard calling into a local radio station to talk about the subject of the... more

Romney and the Historical Parallels of our Politics

By Salena Zito (Feb 05, 2012)

TAMPA, Fla. – When Mitt Romney stood on a stage here last Tuesday night and declared, “A competitive primary does not divide us, it prepares us – and we will win,” his words... more

Romney Claims Historic Florida Win

By Salena Zito (Feb 01, 2012)

TAMPA -- Mitt Romney easily won Florida's Republican presidential primary in a record-breaking performance on Tuesday. The victory gives the former Massachusetts governor... more

Presidential Candidates Seek Latino Support in Florida

By Salena Zito (Jan 30, 2012)

MIAMI — The bustling Versailles restaurant and bakery in Little Havana has a reputation for serving savory pastries, sweet Cuban coffee and politicians who are looking for... more

Populism Elusive For President

By Salena Zito (Jan 29, 2012)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Florida's first military governor and America's seventh president, Andrew Jackson, never lived in this city named to honor his military exploits that... more

'Battle of Ideas' Shapes Up in Florida GOP Primary

By Salena Zito (Jan 23, 2012)

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- It's on to Florida for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. The four Republicans remain in competition for the party's presidential... more

How the Democratic Party Lost the South

By Salena Zito (Jan 22, 2012)

PROSPERITY, S.C.  – Erik Grantham walked out of Stable Steak House on Main Street, through a door hand-painted in bright yellow with “Jesus is the... more

GOP Presidential Hopefuls Divide Flock in South Carolina

By Salena Zito (Jan 17, 2012)

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Richard Thomas said he prayed for guidance to select the best Republican presidential candidate in the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Those prayers... more

Bellweather Ohio Is a Solid Toss-Up

By Salena Zito (Jan 15, 2012)

President Barack Obama stood in the gymnasium of upscale Shaker Heights High School in suburban Cleveland on Jan. 4, in front of high school students and... more

Romney's Values Most Easily Expressed Through His Family

By Salena Zito (Jan 12, 2012)

DERRY, N.H. -- "The measure of a life is the people you love," Mitt Romney says, describing what family means to him. "This is a big part of the family I love." He sits in... more

Obama Under Water in New Hampshire

By Salena Zito (Jan 08, 2012)

MANCHESTER, N.H.  – The Granite State shares more than the early-voting spotlight with caucus-cousin Iowa. Its love affair with Barack Obama is in the same... more

Iowa Caucus Voters Choosing With Heads, Not Hearts

By Salena Zito (Jan 02, 2012)

CARROLL, Iowa -- The race is down to the wire and is still hard to call. When Iowa Republicans caucus with their neighbors on Tuesday. night, they will have scrutinized... more

Obama's Support Faltering In Iowa

By Salena Zito (Jan 01, 2012)

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa- Bobby Burns has had a dramatic change of heart. Burns, 23, was one of those young people swept up in Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Three... more