Every four years during a national election, we hear about the importance of Ohio – we’re a swing state, we decide the election, yada yada yada.

And in between national elections? Ohio is all but ignored.

It’s unsettling.

To help the electorate keep up with the political doings in Ohio, we’ll check in once in a while, astrological style, so that in the next national election in 2016 there won’t be so much for non-Ohioans to research.

Ohio wasn’t built in a day, you know.

We’ll take a look at how the current transits from Mars out are affecting our Buckeye State politicians including: Mars (just entering Libra), Jupiter (in Cancer), Saturn (in Scorpio), Uranus (in Aries), Neptune (in Pisces) and Pluto (in Capricorn).

The Ohio Governor

The Ohio governor is John Kasich. He’s up for re-election in 2014.

Kasich is an earthy guy with Jupiter, Venus and sun in Taurus with moon in Capricorn. For some, this combination can be, how shall we say it, grouchy.

Personally, I love many of Kasich’s blunt and direct comments, such as when he suggested in 2012 that President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney had visited the state so much that they ought to pay taxes.

Imagine collecting taxes from the wealthy Romney. Now that would stimulate the Ohio economy.

Taurus and Capricorn combined are nothing if not frugal, both with money and emotions. Kasich was not bluffing when he said he’d cut spending. Earth signs have a general ledger and balance sheet in their minds at all times.

In general, Kasich means what he says. While earth might not have the public relations skills of fire and air signs, with earth signs you generally get-what-you-see. Other signs might get grouchy too, but they keep it off the television set.

Kasich has a cardinal T-square of Uranus (in Cancer), moon (in Capricorn) and Saturn/Neptune (in Libra). This T-square combined with the rest of the chart suggests the balancing of personal relationships, family and personal ambition are not smoothly managed.

Capricorn likes the top of the mountain where, folklore says, it is lonely.

Transiting Jupiter and Pluto are creating national issues of home (Cancer) versus security (Capricorn). In Kasich’s horoscope, this also has personal elements. It could be anything from his own security system to his own monitoring of the people closest to him. This tension causes a strain in already distant personal relationships.

Transiting Saturn (in Scorpio) conjunct natal Mars is an unpleasant aspect creating extremely hurt feelings and desire for revenge. It’s the hurt you can’t let go of. It may be someone else creating these feelings for Kasich.

Transiting Uranus won’t aspect Kasich’s Mercury for a few years. But Mercury in Aries is an impulsive speaker with or without the added fuel injection of Uranus. Neptune, which is in Pisces, is in an out-of-sign conjunction with Kasich’s Mercury meaning that Kasich may not even realize some of what he’s saying. It may rise out of emotions he barely recognizes.

In November 2014 during the election, Kasich will have a lot of planetary action on his moon and Mars with Mars/Pluto transiting Capricorn and Venus/Saturn transiting Scorpio.

That means Kasich will fight very, very hard for this office. Fighting Capricorn or Scorpio alone is difficult and in combination, quite fierce. Woe to his challenger.

The Ohio Governor Challenger

There is already a challenger to Kasich in the form of Ed FitzGerald.

FitzGerald has Mars, sun and Venus in Cancer with moon in Capricorn (or possibly Aquarius). FitzGerald is mostly earth and water (four of each) with Mercury in air-sign Gemini and Saturn in fire-sign Aries.

Earth and water are more introverted and water is extremely sensitive. The combination has difficulty with criticism so a gubernatorial election might be a bit difficult to handle. And Kasich will be attacking both directly and fiercely.

Until summer of next year, transiting Jupiter is conjunction FitzGerald’s Mars/sun/Venus. That’s a beneficent aspect bestowing love and affection. The problem is the transit ends mid July about the time the media churns up the attention on November elections.

The current transits are not in advanced enough degrees to be impacting FitzGerald’s horoscope. This is good, right?

It’s good when you want to live a quite and peaceful life. But to face the challenges you must be toughened up, so to speak. FitzGerald may have a short lead time between when the intensity of Jupiter transiting into Leo and the November election.

In other words, being peacefully and comfortably ignored is the worst preparation possible for the election.

In November 2014, transiting Mars/Pluto in Capricorn may be conjunct FitzGerald’s moon and may be creating the same aspect for Kasich (depending on degree of moon).

The feeling I get is that the election will happen in a week. Like it will begin and end in a very short, but intense, period of time.

It’s going to be a hot August 2014 and September 2014 for the folks in Ohio. Don’t put away those shorts until at least October 2014.

Lieutenant Governor Challenger

FitzGerald has recently announced a running mate who would be Lieutenant Governor – Eric Kearney.

Like his running mate, Kearney is a water sign, but he is the fixed water sign Scorpio. Kearney has sun, Neptune and Venus all in Scorpio.

Wow, that’s a very charismatic placement.

The moon is either in Aquarius or Pisces. Both are charismatic in different ways. If the moon is in Pisces, that adds more Neptune (because it rules Pisces) to a guy with Neptune in his sun sign.

Neptune is beauty and mystery, even when it’s ugly and misleading. Neptune is the feeling of oneness you get when in a huge crowd at a roaring sports event as you lift your arms in the passing wave.

Aquarius is more rational but also zany, in a mad-scientist sort of way.

Natal Mars (in Sagittarius) and Jupiter (in Aries) are carrying the fire signs. Fire is nice to have if you want to be in public office because it provides energy and enthusiasm.

I’m liking this guy.

Surfing the net, I found that Kearney is having a little tax problem that may threaten his nomination.

Scorpio, you may recall, rules taxes and Saturn, you may also recall, is transiting Scorpio. It’s a bad time for finances for those with Scorpio in money houses (2nd and 8th).

The article mentions Kearney is a bright and rising star and should hold off on his run for Lieutenant Governor.

Hmm.

That makes sense in the rational world, but this is politics. If I were an evil political astrologer, which I swear I’m not, I’d suggest Kearney go for it for the following two reasons.

The tax problem in the news now will never, ever go away. That is part of the Internet age. If it’s digital, it’s forever. Face it now. You can’t pay your taxes and make this go away. Pay your taxes and then figure out how to transcend this.

Two, next summer when transiting Jupiter moves into Leo it will create a grand fire trine in Kearney’s chart providing extra energy and enthusiasm to his horoscope.

Does that mean Kearney will win the Lieutenant Governorship?

Who knows?

But for the charismatic Kearney, he needs to get some charisma out there now for any future career plans. What politician out there doesn’t have to explain (away) some crazy personal situation?

At the end of July 2014, Mars will be conjunct Kearney’s Mercury providing energy for calming, peaceful, explanatory speech.

Then Mars, for the duration of his proposed election run, will be transiting his sun, Venus and Neptune in August and natal Mars in September.

Regardless of whether Kearney runs or not, he’s going to have an interesting and stimulating summer of 2014.

It would be interesting to have his time of birth to see how all this transiting Capricorn energy (Pluto, sometimes Mars, sometimes Venus) is affecting his chart.

Mayor of Cincinnati

As of December 1, 2013, Cincinnati has a new mayor – John Cranley.

Cranley has Mercury and sun in Pisces and moon either in Taurus or Gemini. The moon, in either sign, might be conjunct Mars in Gemini (could be out-of-sign conjunction).

Thinking about the previous mayor, Mark Mallory, I get the sense that Cincinnati likes its mayors to be a bit emotional, capricious and challenging.

If Cranley’s moon is in Taurus, he is more calm and controlled than Mallory. But that Mars is hanging out in Gemini creating ripples in the otherwise placid lake of moon in Taurus. However, if moon is in Gemini, Cranley would be a compulsive talker.

If moon is in Taurus, there would be periods of intense quiet followed by periods of intense chatter.

Transiting Neptune in Pisces is in-between Cranley’s natal Mercury and sun creating an out-of-focus world for Cranley.

I suspect Cranley is still excited and might not be noticing that transiting Pluto (in Capricorn) is squaring his natal Pluto (in Libra). As Mars enters Libra and provides more energy to that square, Cranley may notice that those creating partnerships with him have other motivations that pure positive intent for the human race.

That will bother Cranley.

Cranley’s natal Neptune in Sagittarius is square is sun and when transiting Neptune (in Pisces) moves closer in the next couple years, Cranley’s unclear eyesight may become even more fuzzy.

It’s time to update the eyeglass prescription.

I hope Cranley’s moon is in the fixed earth sign Taurus or else Cranley may be blown around so much by the forces of wind and water that he may simply get caught in a tornado and flown to a land over the rainbow.

If I were a medieval astrologer, and I swear I’m not, I’d recommend that this Cincinnati dweller live higher in the hills and avoid living by the Ohio River. He has enough water and needs the view from above to see the situation below more objectively.