UA to stream Tom Beres' interviews with governor and U.S. Senate hopefuls

Two major candidates want to be Ohio’s next governor. A current U.S. Congressman wants to unseat a sitting U.S. Senator. They will face many large and demanding problems, from health care to education. So, what is each candidate’s agenda? And how can voters become better informed to make their decisions?

To answer these questions and more, our Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics will continue its series with Tom Beres, retired, Emmy-winning WKYC Channel 3 senior political correspondent, who sits down with the four major candidates for livestreamed interviews to get at what is important to voters before Election Day on Nov. 6.

“In this format, we have time to cover more topics in more detail than strictly timed debates,” Beres said. “And the wrenching conflict over sexual assault allegations and the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination adds one more issue of urgency for Ohio constituents. Our extended interviews should help undecided voters.” 

“We are very happy to have the candidates visit The University of Akron and talk uninterrupted with Tom Beres,” said Dr. John Green, interim president at UA and director of the Bliss Institute.

Online access to interviews

These discussions will be available online for all citizens in Ohio to access leading up to the Nov. 6 election. Each livestream interview can be seen on the WKYC Channel 3 website and Facebook page, and posted on UA’s YouTube channel.

"The Governor’s race is apparently very close, perhaps neck and neck,” commented Beres. “Ohio has massive problems — the gap between unfilled jobs and unskilled workers, the devastating opioid epidemic and five of seven big-city school systems earning an F on report cards. We will discuss them all with Mike DeWine and Richard Cordray as well as their negative campaigns.”

Jim Renacci is President Donald Trump's chosen candidate for Senate. Sherrod Brown is the lone Ohio Democrat in statewide office, and he has a big lead in the polls. But Renacci is tenaciously working to prove the polls wrong.

“We will question them both on the impact of President Trump's policies on Ohio, health care, the Mueller investigation and the need to put country ahead of party," stated Beres.

The 45-minute interviews will take place in the studios of our Emmy-award winning student-run Z-TV, located in Kolbe Hall, home of our School of Communication (dates and times are approximate):

• Mike DeWine (R) – Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 12:30 p.m., Watch interview.
• Jim Renacci (R) – Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m., Watch interview. 
• Richard Cordray (D) – Thursday, Oct. 11, at 3:30 p.m., Watch interview.
• Sherrod Brown (D) – Friday, Oct. 19, at 10:30 a.m., Watch interview.

In December of 2016, Tom Beres wrapped up a 37-year run at WKYC Channel 3, where he had been the senior political correspondent for 18 years. For the past 10 years, he was also the host of “Between the Lines,” a weekly political show that aired on Sunday mornings before “Meet the Press.” A member of the Cleveland Press Club Hall of Fame, the veteran reporter has received many honors, including four Emmys (two for investigative reporting), the distinguished service award from the Society of Professional Journalists and a best broadcast writing award from the Associated Press.

The Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron is a bipartisan research and teaching institute dedicated to increasing understanding of the political process with special emphasis on political parties, grassroots activity and ethical behavior.

Media contact: Lisa Craig, 330-972-7429 or lmc91@uakron.edu.