Purple Ohio? Parties in the former bellwether state take lessons from 2023 abortion, marijuana votes
Ohio’s political pendulum swung left last year as voters in the one-time bellwether state overwhelmingly supported enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution and voted to legalize recreational marijuana
By JULIE CARR SMYTH and SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON
Published - Mar 12, 2024, 12:21 AM ET
Last Updated - Mar 12, 2024, 12:21 AM EDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — For more than half a century, Ohio was one of the most important states to watch during presidential election years, a place where both parties competed vigorously for support from voters who were often genuinely undecided.
Then came Donald Trump.
Beginning in 2016, Ohio became reliably Republican as more and more voters embraced the New York businessman’s brash brand of politics. When Trump won the state in 2020 without clinching the White House, he became the first to win Ohio but lose the presidency since the state sided with Richard Nixon over John F. Kennedy in 1960. With that, the Buckeye State's bellwether status was officially unrung.
