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Why Ohio is no longer a battleground the nation” held true. That changed in 2020 when Joe Biden won the The next president of the White House despite losing United States will be decidto Donald Trump in Ohio ed by voters in a half-dozen by a gaping 8 percentage states — the battleground points. states that polls say could What changed? swing the Nov. 5 election Some political observeither way. ers say Ohio now votes Ohio isn’t on that list. differently than the nation It used to be. because the state no longer For more than a half mirrors the country democentury — from Demographically. crat Lyndon B. Johnson’s Slow population growth trouncing of Republican has made Ohio older and less Barry Goldwater in the racially diverse. 1964 presidential race But both sides argue a through Donald Trump’s bigger factor is fundamental stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in 2016, Ohio was a shift in political attitudes. bellwether state — the man- They say Trump’s 2016 victra “as Ohio goes, so goes tory and strong reelection David Knox The Community Guide
bid in 2020 mark a swing to the right in Ohio and former “blue wall” Democratic states. Republican supporters of Trump welcome the shift, calling it a return to traditional social values and rejection of the globalization of the economy and interventionist foreign policy. Democrats paint a darker picture, blaming Trump and his vitriolic rhetoric for spurring a resurgence of racism and fear of immigrants and undermining democracy by questioning the integrity of the voting system. But some Ohio election results cast doubt on such
sweeping generalizations: n Before Ohio helped Trump win the presidency in 2016, the Buckeye State voted twice to put a Black man in the White House — casting its 18 electoral votes for Barack Obama in 2008 and, four years later, backing his successful bid for a second term. n Just three years after supporting Trump in his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 2020 and a year after Trump-appointed members of the Supreme Court cast the deciding vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, Ohioans voted overwhelmingly, 57to-43 percent, to amend the state constitution to guaran-
tee the right to abortion. Skeptics question how hard-to-change attitudes over hot-button social issues such as race and abortion can account for such seemingly contradictory swings in election outcomes. Many observers argue economics better explains voter behavior – especially in presidential races. One fact is indisputable: almost all opinion polls put the economy at the top of the list of issues voters worry about and Ohioans have good reason to fear the economy is failing them: Lorain County is among the majority of the state’s
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What are the seven battleground states? A4 Lorain County doesn’t share in state’s job growth. A5
counties that have gone more than 20 years without any net gains in jobs. For many Lorain County workers, hopes of attaining middle class prosperity are dying. Decades of economic data provide evidence that those workers and their families are likely to cast their votes for a presidential candidate — from either political party — who promises to change that bleak outlook.
It was a hurricane like no other directions. “It’s bad. It’s real bad.” I got dressed and walked toGulfport, Florida — Seems ward the water, Boca Ciega Bay. about every year, a hurricane or tropical storm skirts scarily close It’s the intracoastal waterway. A hundred years ago, before bridges to Gulfport. were built, Gulfport was where It’s a little beach town just people caught a ferry over to the south of St. Petersburg on the beaches on the barrier islands. southern tip of Pinellas County — a tiny peninsula off the Florida This time, the morning after peninsula. the storm was different. The The drill is the same for every water had gone down, as always, storm. but there was no celebration at A couple hours before the storm O’Maddy’s because O’Maddy’s is supposed to hit, batten down was gone. Only a skeleton the hatches as best as I can. Drag remained. The seawall had not lawn furniture and all potential only been breached; it had been projectiles inside or against the demolished, and it took most of back of my west-facing house. O’Maddy’s with it. Then turn on the Weather Sand covered the streets. Channel and wait. Wait for the Washed-up boats were in the storm. Wait for the power to go street. The wooden pier was out and then wait till the mornin the middle of the road three ing to go check out the damage blocks from the water. Shop ownand walk the five blocks down to ers were all busy dragging stuff O’Maddy’s, a bar on the water, out of their shops. The water — for a post-storm “We survived!” the surge — was so strong, it had PATTI EWALD / CHRONICLE PHOTOS party. toppled commercial refrigerators. Usually, the road would be Everything gone, lost or ruined. This is the seawall across from O’Maddy’s that was clear till we got about a block I felt sad, shocked — and guilty. I destroyed. A boat is washed up against the Gulfport from O’Maddy’s. We would have was just three blocks up the street Casino (an old dance hall, not a betting casino). The wooden pilings held a pier that washed three blocks to wade in ankle-deep water the and I had no water even near my up the street. rest of the way. The bar would house and I had electricity. be dark but open, and you could I took some photos and walked get a beer, but only the cans they The home. At the farthest edge of the had put on ice before the electric “Welcome damage, the owners of a little went out. to place called Gulfport Brewery By dinner time, the water that Paradise” had cleaned up their damage had breached the seawall would sign at Tommy’s have gone down and, most of the and were now setting up a grill under one of those canopy tents. Tiki Hut, time, power would have been They were handing out water and located on restored. cooking hot dogs and hamburgthe same This time it was different. ers for shopkeepers and residents beachAs the storm approached, the who had been hit. front road, animals sat on the couch with “It’s the least we can do,” the remained me as I switched back and forth like a cruel owner said. on the TV channels, the sound joke after Patti Ewald, the former managing editor of The of howling winds and torrential the restauChronicle-Telegram, moved to Gulfport, Florida, downpour outside. My power in 2008. She worked at Poynter Institute and rant was never went out. First time ever. the Tampa Bay Times before retiring and destroyed rejoining — remotely — the Chronicle staff How lucky, we are, I thought. by the as a part-time copy editor. You can find her And then the morning came. on Facebook and Instagram or email her at hurricane. There were murmurs from all pewald@chroniclet.com. Patti Ewald The Community Guide
RICHARD PERRINS / CHRONICLE
Gold Star family members place wreaths next to the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Elyria.
Gold Star Families monument unveiled Richard Perrins The Community Guide
ELYRIA — Lorain County dedicated the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of community members, public officials and Gold Star families congregated on the grounds of the old Lorain County Courthouse for the ceremony and the monument’s unveiling. A Gold Star family refers to one whose member has died in active duty military service. The Woody Williams Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated toward erecting similar monuments, worked with local Gold Star family members to make the project a reality. Kimberly Hazelgrove was one of these family members. A U.S. Army veteran herself and the wife of Brian Hazelgrove, who died in action in Iraq in 2004, Hazelgrove was a member of the committee that pushed for the monument. “On this sacred day, we recognize the unique sacrifices of all those that were left behind,” Hazelgrove said in her remarks. “Like all of you here today, our entire family was destabilized by uncertainty, loss, chaos and unimaginable grief. I see you, I feel your pain, See GOLD STAR, A2
INSIDE THIS WEEK Esports
LCCC opens exciting new facility. A5
Kennel expansion
New facility will house 60 dogs . A4
Amherst
Schools get $1.6M tech grant. A3
SPORTS A6 • CROSSWORD A7 • SUDOKU A7 • KID SCOOP A8