Tipsheet

Why One Ohio County's Results Are an 'Ominous' Sign for Biden in Pennsylvania

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  November 04, 2020 8:41 AM

As we await final results from Pennsylvania, there’s a promising sign for President Trump based on how one Ohio county voted.

In the bellwether Buckeye State, President Trump pulled off a victory even though final polls had Joe Biden in the lead. And for the first time in decades, Mahoning County, where Youngstown is located, turned red.

Salena Zito points out the significance:

Trump did not win this county in 2016 despite winning the state, but the vote swing here away from the Democrats was staggering; Hillary Clinton won the county with 49% of the vote, Trump had 46.9%. In contrast, four years earlier, President Barack Obama crushed Mitt Romney by 28 percentage points, earning more than 63% of Mahoning County’s vote.

Neighboring Trumbull County also played a factor in Trump’s Ohio win Tuesday, coming in with a whopping 10-point advantage for the incumbent Republican.

To put this in perspective, these "spine counties" that run along the state line with Pennsylvania had long been part of a Democratic wall that propelled candidates like Obama to the presidency.

“Trump's victory in Trumbull and Mahoning counties demonstrates that change is going on in America's two-party system,” explained Paul Sracic, political science professor at Youngstown State University.

“These two counties were among the most reliable Democratic votes in the states as recently as 2012," he explained. "Now, however, the working-class voters that dominate in these counties have found a new home." (Washington Examiner)