Ohio's Trumpiest Town Is Full of Former Democrats
Bloomberg Businessweek|September 19 - September 25, 2016

What if this election isn’t about rage, after all, but about hope?

Joshua Green
Ohio's Trumpiest Town Is Full of Former Democrats

It’s a jarring thought: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the two least popular presidential candidates in modern history, engaged in a contest of surpassing ugliness, their most passionate supporters brimming with contempt for one another. If you follow the election on cable news or Twitter, or attend a rally, the people you encounter are the loudest, the angriest, the most eager to buttonhole reporters. And yet they’re also rarely representative of their own communities. They warp our view of the electorate. On the ground, things can look very different, even in the most partisan corners of a pivotal swing state such as Ohio, where a Sept. 14 Bloomberg poll of likely voters had Trump edging Clinton by 5 points.

Bloomberg Businessweek teamed up with the data science firm 0ptimus to identify the most pro-Trump and pro-Clinton districts in Ohio during the presidential primaries. These two districts, 75 miles apart, have many differences, most obviously in their racial composition. And indeed, in both places there are deep veins of animosity toward the candidate they oppose. But the citizens of southeast Cleveland, where Clinton’s Democratic support runs strongest, and those in the Rust Belt haven of Youngstown, whose Republicans, many newly minted, ardently favor Trump, didn’t see politics as being about the other side. It was about them. And by and large both groups conveyed a cautious optimism about their future and their preferred candidate.

This story is from the September 19 - September 25, 2016 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 19 - September 25, 2016 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKView All
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 mins  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023