From the city streets of Cleveland to the small towns in southern Ohio that dot the base of the Appalachian mountains, Ohio and its 20 Electoral College votes is poised to once again take center stage in the presidential race.

In 2004, President George W. Bush squeaked by Democratic Sen. John Kerry. Many analysts believe Republican appeal in the southern part of the state pushed Bush ahead of Kerry.

Ohio has a history as a swing state. Bush won there in the last two presidential elections. In the 1990s, Democrat Bill Clinton carried the state twice. It was Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush who won in the 1980s.

Republican Sen. John McCain has big hopes for Ohio. No Republican has ever been elected as president without winning Ohio.

What helps sway people in the Buckeye State to shift their support to one candidate or another? Most analysts predict one thing for November: the economy.

Sen. Barack Obama lost the 2008 Ohio Democratic primary to Sen. Hillary Clinton, who secured more support from traditional blue-collar voters. Obama may face questions from voters about his plans to reform NAFTA. Many blue-collar voters believe the trade agreement has led to job losses in Ohio.

McCain may face a challenge though. The GOP has lost recent statewide races including a shift in the mid-term elections in 2006. The GOP has felt the effect of scandal as well, including a House member who dropped out of his re-election bid for a seventh term because of corruption allegations tied to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.