Ohioans are now well aware that an election is just one week away – our television shows are peppered with political ads. Don’t bother watching your favorite shows next Monday – they will probably be abridged due to the need to run as many political ads as possible.

In today’s astrological political coverage, we’ll look at the Ohio Attorney General race. Ohio Attorney General incumbent and Republican Mike DeWine is facing Democrat challenger David Pepper.

My, oh my, did it take a while to find Pepper’s date of birth. The Ohio Democratic candidates have been very hush hush about birthdays and birth places which is the true scandal-that-never-was. Where was gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald born? Where was Ohio Treasurer Connie Pillich born?

Blue-blood Ohioans want to know.

In true political fashion, the focus goes to more banal concerns such as not having a driver’s license for ten years (FitzGerald) or having hundreds of parking tickets (Pepper).

Mike DeWine

DeWine is an interesting blend of rationality and shrewdness with Mercury, sun and Mars in Capricorn with Uranus and moon in Gemini. This is a man of habit who becomes, suddenly, unpredictable.

Capricorn and the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo have the entire environment monitored. Uranus conjunct moon in Gemini now picks up any change in that environment, no matter how small, fleeting or Freudian.

Jupiter and Venus in Scorpio lend to having some emotional life, but unfortunately of the obsessive sort (especially with the square to Saturn-Pluto). So when DeWine’s not entirely rational, DeWine is entirely emotional. But mostly he’s removed from his feelings and uses a laser to cut through the machinations of others.

This is one smart man. He’s got you coming and going with practical knowledge and the ability to see what you’re doing with your hands at the same time.

I’d say you can’t beat this guy at chess.

Capricorn is a grudge holder so if you get on DeWine’s bad side, expect to be ostracized. If you think he’s giving you the cold shoulder, he probably is although with Capricorn and Gemini energy combined, coldness has its nuances so it might take a while to see the cold coming from the shoulder rather than from other parts.

If I were an evil astrologer, and I swear I’m not, I’d say the key to dismantling this clever cookie is to ask an emotionally-based question like, “If you discovered your grandmother was spying for the Russians, would you fry her in the electric chair?”

DeWine knows how to answer but may have a slight pause as the rational, rule-following side reacts with, “Of course, she broke the law.”

DeWine would be savvy enough, of course, to answer more rationally and diplomatically in a way that you’re sure means he wouldn’t fry grandma. But then later, when you’re doing the dishes and reflecting on his words, you’re not quite sure that’s what he said.

Gemini is great with words. DeWine is a debater and he has his note cards in his pocket, although he probably has a great memory and doesn’t need them. DeWine is always prepared.

David Pepper

Let’s begin with the easy parts of this complicated horoscope. Pepper has Mercury and sun in Gemini with the sun in a wide air trine with Uranus in Libra and Mars in Aquarius. This is a fun, intellectually-stimulating trine that seeks social interaction from the personal kind to the group and public kind.

He’s witty, conversant, challenging, intelligent, quirky and always coming up with the new idea. If you want to drive left, he’ll suggest right. And if you suggest right, he’ll suggest forward or backward. If you buy a fancy new car, he will show up next week with something bigger and brighter. But I get ahead of myself.

Like finding his date of birth, finding Pepper’s moon sign is equally challenging. The moon is either in late Scorpio or early Sagittarius, very different energies and signs often are when placed next to each other. Regardless of the sign placement, the moon is making soup with Jupiter in the last degree (anaretic) of Scorpio and Neptune in the first degree of Sagittarius.

The moon in this case seems to represent these two different energies sitting together on the bus. They accept their companion but don’t really talk with them much. With a grand air trine to boot, I’d suggest that Mr. Pepper has more than one personality.

Complicating this further is a conjunction of Saturn and Venus in Taurus opposing Jupiter (and probably the moon) and Neptune, in or out of sign.

Saturn in Taurus represents the sense of physical lack. Whether growing up rich or poor, for some reason there is a feeling that I don’t have what others have. Their “stuff” is bigger and better. With Venus tagging along in this, the great pleasure that comes from material life, the enjoyment of the senses, is restricted because the stuff that gives pleasure is just out of reach.

And air trines are looking for the next thing so there’s a carrot dangling in front of Pepper at all times, a carrot he’s always trying to get (good luck).

The moon mixed with Jupiter and Neptune provides a gregarious and giving nature that knows no self-control. Opposing the Saturn-Venus, there might be excessive indulgence that leads to great debt to others. Gambling (which to me includes socially-accepted activities such as playing stocks) might be the physical response to the lack which then creates more lack when great losses occur.

If I were an evil astrologer, which I mentioned I’m not, I’d suggest that opponents follow the money (not the parking tickets which suggest moon in Sagittarius) on this one. With Venus in Taurus next to Saturn, women are involved in the money stuff.

The Election Aspects

DeWine has transiting Pluto conjunct natal sun and Mars which suggests transformation of his ambitions and public self. Transiting Jupiter in Leo and transiting Saturn in Scorpio are in square aspect and are activating DeWine’s natal square (Jupiter-Venus in Scorpio and Saturn-Pluto in Leo). This indicates great changes in sense of self and self-worth. Those emotionally attached to DeWine are challenging him personally.

Pepper has transiting Saturn conjunct Jupiter as well, both men having Jupiter in Scorpio. Both men are going to owe some money after the election – no surprise here. Pepper will probably be in worse shape as he may have borrowed money from that Saturn-Venus conjunction (property or female).

Outside of money losses, an election loss wouldn’t affect Pepper on a personal level as it would DeWine. While Pepper is seeking political office and has some need for power, his horoscope doesn’t seem to depend on it. He may simply want to play in a larger, better playground. If he doesn’t get this job, there are probably ten other roles he’d take instead.

DeWine would be devastated by an election loss because he would lose the Capricorn sense of self that derives from one’s standing in society. The loss of power and control which stems from Capricorn but also his Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter and Venus, would be like losing air to breathe. DeWine probably doesn’t know how to live in a simple, personal environment.

While polls show DeWine winning in a landslide, horoscope aspects suggest that in some way, DeWine’s relationship with politics and power is going to change soon.