Campaigns weigh strategy options if Ohio primary is delayed

By JULIE CARR SMYTH and JILL COLVIN
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s primary election is scheduled for May 3, and it’s just six weeks away. But candidates still don’t know whether the contest will happen at that date. A series of court rulings invalidating Republican-drawn redistricting maps has threatened to delay the primary by a month or more. There’s even a chance the election could be split onto two dates, with one focusing on statewide races and the other on the Statehouse and congressional contests that are tied up in the mapmaking fight. That’s left candidates scrambling to shift their strategies for fundraising, advertising and voter outreach just as they thought they were nearing the end of the primary campaign.