Presidential contest gets into high gear

If the Nov. 4 presidential election is the political equivalent of the Super Bowl, then Thursday’s Iowa caucus and the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary are the opening games.

The pre-season is over.

Are you ready for some presidential politics?

It’s a long season, but it’s important to get those early victories to gain momentum.

“You can’t get to the Super Bowl until you win the playoffs,” said state Rep. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th, about the primaries and caucuses.

Iowa and New Hampshire play key roles in determining who is and who isn’t president.

A poor showing in the 1968 New Hampshire primary by President Lyndon Johnson led to his decision to not seek re-election. A victory by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 New Hampshire primary and a strong second-place finish by Bill Clinton in that state’s 1992 primary gave the candidates momentum to capture the White House. Every president elected since 1972 finished in the top three in the Iowa caucus.

“Iowa and New Hampshire are very important because they establish momentum in hotly contested races,” said Dave Johnson, Columbiana County Republican chairman and a supporter of ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and on Vindy.com