Ohio is a state used to getting its way.
So when President Barack Obama stripped the name of an Ohio favorite son from a mountaintop 4,000 miles away in Alaska, the state's powerful congressional delegation was roused from its summer recess to decry the affront.
Ohio's John Boehner, the speaker of the U.S. House, declared himself "deeply disappointed" after the Obama administration announced on Sunday that the peak formerly known as Mount McKinley, the highest in North America, henceforth would be called by its native name, Denali.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman protested the decision in a series of tweets, saying the mountain's name was a way to recall the "rich legacy" of William McKinley, an Ohio native and the 25th president of the U.S. who was assassinated by an anarchist in 1901. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who's running for the Republican presidential nomination, said in a tweet that Obama "once again oversteps his bounds."
The name change, announced in conjunction with an Obama trip to Alaska, was no sudden whim or partisan move.
Tribal and Alaska state leaders have sought it for 40 years, noting the significance of the name Denali to Alaska natives and the fact that McKinley never even set foot in the state. Attempts to change the name to Denali via legislation were repeatedly blocked by Ohio's congressional delegation.
Ohio long has been a political powerhouse and a battleground in U.S. presidential elections. The state has produced seven presidents, including McKinley. According to the Roll Call clout index, Ohio ranks fifth in influence on national affairs; Alaska clocks in at 32nd.
While McKinley was a Republican, Alaska's and Ohio's differences aren't a matter of party loyalty.
Boehner and Portman are Republicans, as is most of the Ohio congressional delegation. So too are Alaska's two senators and single representative. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski released a video applauding the decision with the peak as a backdrop.
(c)2015 Bloomberg News
