So, as I have returned to Ohio after 14 years in Portland Oregon I am spending a little time refamiliarizing myself with the political zeitgeist here in the state I largely grew up in. I found a sort of round up of the initial reactions on the Columbus Dispatch website. I found it a sort of useful primer on some of the thinking around here in general terms.
Ohio Politics Now: A look at how and why Trump won Ohio and the presidency
Let’s talk real: Dispatch Public Affairs Editor Darrel Rowland and Washington reporter Jessica Wehrman examinehow Donald Trump won in Ohio and and the nation.
A look at voter turnout: “While virtually all of Ohio’s rural counties traditionally vote Republican, Trump rolled up far greater margins in those areas than did Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012. The top 14 counties where Trump’s winning percentage increased the most are all rural,” Rowland and Wehrman write.
“Trump also flipped 10 Ohio counties that had voted Democrat -- some for multiple presidential elections.”
Consider this: ”Tuesday’s result was the highest percentage attained by a Republican presidential candidate in Ohio and the largest winning margin since George H.W. Bush beat Michael Dukakis by 11 points in 1988.”
And there’s this: “Turnout in big demographic urban areas across the Rust Belt was really bad, and turnout in white, rural areas was really good,” Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics said. “Trump voters showed up in force, particularly on Election Day.”
Please join Battleground ohio today.
Not restricted to Ohioans as what happens in Ohio impacts most of the country. That said when you request to join let me know where you are located. I would love to keep track of the Ohioans that are a part of the group. Just leave a comment expressing interest. I will be recruiting this week and then sending a kosmail with next steps early next week!