Campaigns ramping up rhetoric as Election Day approaches

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Election season quickly approaches after what has been an active, historic and in some ways unexpected political summer.

“Just so much has changed so fast in this year,” said Christopher McKnight Nichols, history professor at Ohio State University. “If you pause and reflect on it, it's kind of a ‘wow’ moment.”

Nichols said 2024 is “definitely” already historic and will likely continue to trend that way.

“Frankly, it strikes me that the year 2024 is going to come down as one of the most dramatic in U.S. political, social, cultural history,” he said.

The 2024 election in Ohio is going to be consequential from the top of the ticket to the bottom. Ohio voters have a tight U.S. Senate race to consider.

With three open Ohio Supreme Court seats, a statewide ballot issue and so much more to consider this fall, one thing is in the background: “heightened political rhetoric.”

“That is violent, that is negative, that's the deprecative, that's harsh, that's callous,” Nichols said. “There's a lot of ways to put it.”

The rhetoric spans from things like a state senator saying if republicans lose this election, it will come down to a civil war “to save the county,” aggressive attack ads, and polarizing opinions and emotions.

“Often you would say that ‘that's just rhetoric, that doesn't really matter,’” Nichols said. “But we have enough evidence now that some people are taking those actions into their own hands and taking radical, dramatic actions.”

The actions Nichols are talking about include things like the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, attacks on poll workers and the Jan. 6 riots.

“I think it's really worrisome in this moment that we see so much of a relationship between dramatic, harsh, sometimes threatening political rhetorical actions and actual in person lived experience, violence, bullying and that sort of thing,” he said.

As far as enthusiasm goes, Nichols said he does not see it waning too much between now and Election Day and expects high turnout. He said the messaging will likely not impact some races in the state, especially the presidential.

“Unless things really break in unexpected ways, this shouldn't be that much of a battleground state,” he said.

We still have a little more than a month until early voting begins, but it is likely that you will start seeing more political ads these next few weeks, for national, statewide, and local races and issues.