The 2016 United States presidential election in Ohio was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the
2016 United States presidential election
The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticke ...
in which all 50 states plus the
District of Columbia participated.
Ohio voters chose electors to represent them in the
Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
's nominee, businessman
Donald Trump, and running mate
Indiana Governor
The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state governmen ...
Mike Pence against
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
* Botswana Democratic Party
* Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*De ...
nominee, former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia
Senator Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgi ...
. Ohio had 18 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
Ohio was won by Trump by a margin of 8.13 points. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered the Buckeye State as leaning Republican, due to Trump's appeal to blue-collar voters in the
Rust Belt. Ohio kept its streak of voting for the winner (a
bellwether state) since
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
, as it voted for Trump, who won nationally. Having previously voted Democratic in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gath ...
and
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, the win margin was the second largest of the states Trump flipped red, after
Iowa. It also marked the largest margin of victory since
George H. W. Bush defeated
Michael Dukakis in the state in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...
. Additionally, Trump became the first Republican to win Ohio without carrying
Hamilton County since
Rutherford B. Hayes in
1876
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
* February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...
. Ohio was 11.1 points more Republican in this election than it was in 2012. Trump won 80 of Ohio's 88 counties, the most since Ronald Reagan won 82 in 1984.
Ohio was 10.2% more Republican than the national average in 2016, the farthest it had voted from the rest of the nation since
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
. The state had also been one of eleven to vote for
Bill Clinton twice in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
and
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, only to be lost by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Despite the state's hard swing to the right in this election, Hillary Clinton remains the most recent Democratic Presidential nominee as of
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...
to carry
Lorain and
Mahoning counties.
This election would mark the end of Ohio's bellwether streak, having voted for the winning candidate in every election from 1964 to 2016, the longest bellwether streak of any state in the nation's history.
Primary elections
Republican primary
Results
Democratic primary
The
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
* Botswana Democratic Party
* Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*De ...
's presidential primaries in Ohio were held on March 15, 2016, concurrently with primaries in
Florida,
Illinois,
Missouri and
North Carolina. The state's 143 pledged delegates to the
2016 Democratic National Convention
The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
were rewarded proportionally according to the statewide vote total. Three candidates appeared on the ballot for the primary – former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
Senator Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 200 ...
and businessman
Rocky De La Fuente.
Background
By the time Ohio held its primaries, voters from 21 states and two territories already cast their vote for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. As of the March 12 elections, Hillary Clinton was projected to have earned 775 pledged delegates to Bernie Sanders' 552.
Clinton gained significant victories in the
Southern United States, often described as her "firewall", including landslide victories in
Mississippi and
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. In contrast, Bernie Sanders managed to gain victories in the
Midwestern United States, where Ohio resides, including an upset victory in neighboring
Michigan on March 8. After the fact, Sanders' campaign took advantage of the momentum gained from the Michigan win, by targeting Illinois, Missouri and Ohio in the March 15 elections, hoping to repeat the same result. Sanders stated that "Not only is Michigan the gateway to the rest of the industrial Midwest, the results there show that we are a national campaign."
Before the Michigan primaries, Clinton and Sanders had debated over economic policies relating to the industrial
Midwest states and the so-called "
rust belt". The disagreements centered around trade deals, including the
Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), or Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, was a highly contested proposed trade agreement between 12 Pacific Rim economies, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Pe ...
and Clinton's past support of the
North American Free Trade Agreement, and its effect on economies such as
Michigan and
Ohio.
Controversy
Ohio is one of at least seventeen states that has laws allowing voters who are 17 years of age, but will be 18 by the time of the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, to vote in the presidential primaries. However,
Ohio Secretary of State Jon A. Husted
Jon A. Husted (born August 25, 1967) is an American politician serving as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 6th Di ...
had announced in December 2015 that 17 year olds would be outright barred from participating in the 2016 primaries. The rationale for the decision was based on an interpretation of the law in which 17 year olds could "nominate" officials for office, but not "elect". In the case of the presidential primaries, by definition, voters would be electing officials – delegates to each party's
presidential nominating convention
A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The formal purpo ...
.
The decision was met with criticism by the public, after it was brought to mainstream attention by
Representative Kathleen Clyde
Kathleen Clyde (born May 18, 1979) is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives who represented the 75th District from 2011 to 2018.
Early life and career
Clyde is originally from Garrettsville, Ohio. She was the valedictorian of her ...
, after she condemned the rule in a statement released on March 5. Clyde described it as a "underhanded, backroom attack" against young voters.
Nine teenagers filed a lawsuit with the
Ohio Courts of Common Pleas
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The ...
in
Franklin County over the decision, stating that the decision contradicted state law and a decision by the
Supreme Court of the United States that allowed 17 year olds turning 18 by the general election to vote.
Bernie Sanders' campaign, whose voter base includes the majority of young voters,
also filed a lawsuit against the decision, accusing Husted of "arbitrarily" and "unconsititutionally" discriminating against young African-American and
Latino voters, citing data from the
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
that shows younger voters in Ohio were mostly African-American and
Latino.
Husted, in response to Sanders' lawsuit, said in a public statement that he welcomed the lawsuit, further stating that "I am very happy to be sued on this issue because the law is crystal clear",
though, he later spoke out negatively against the lawsuit, claiming that it was "a last-minute political act", designed to "draw attention to his campaign."
Many Ohio officials, past and present, such as former Ohio Secretary of State
Jennifer Brunner
Jennifer Lee Brunner (born February 5, 1957) is an American attorney, politician and judge. She is currently an associate justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, a position to which she was elected after serving as a judge on Ohio's Tenth District C ...
, came out in support of Sanders' lawsuit,
and had attracted protests by not only Bernie Sanders supporters, but also
Donald Trump supporters as well.
In a decision handed down on March 11, an Ohio state judge ruled in favor of both lawsuits by the teenage group and the Sanders campaign, effectively lifting the ban on 17 year olds from voting in the Ohio presidential primaries.
Husted initially announced that he would appeal the ruling,
however, after learning that such an appeal would not be heard by the court until the day before the primaries, he retracted his intent to appeal.
Forums
March 13, 2016 – Columbus, Ohio
The ninth forum was held at 8:00 pm EDT on March 13, 2016, at the campus of
Ohio State University in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and ...
, and aired on
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
.
March 14, 2016 – Columbus, Ohio and Springfield, Illinois
The tenth forum was held at 6:00 pm EDT on March 14, 2016, at the campus of
Ohio State University in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and ...
, and at the
Old State Capitol State Historic Site (Illinois) in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
. It aired on
MSNBC. The first section of the town hall with Bernie Sanders was moderated by
Chuck Todd
Charles David Todd (born April 8, 1972) is an American television journalist who is the 12th and current moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He also hosts ''Meet the Press Now'', its daily edition on NBC News Now and is the Political Direct ...
; the second section of the town hall with Hillary Clinton was moderated by
Chris Matthews
Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'', on America's Talking and later on M ...
.
Results
Green state convention
The
Green Party of Ohio
The Green Party of Ohio is the state party organization for Ohio of the Green Party of the United States.
History
The Green Party of Ohio was founded as the Green Party of Northeast Ohio (the Northeast Ohio Greens) in the early 1990s. The Green ...
participated in the March 15 primaries in Ohio, though they did not hold their presidential primary during the event.
Instead, delegates to the Green National Convention were awarded based on presidential preference through a nominating convention in Columbus on April 3. Members of the Green Party of Ohio were able to vote in the convention.
Polling
Until September 2016, Hillary Clinton won or tied in the vast majority of polls, with Trump only winning 2 polls before September. However, on September 7, Trump won his first statewide poll in 4 months by 46% to 45%. Subsequently, in September, Republican nominee Donald Trump took a lead in Ohio polls, winning every poll but one. In the beginning of October, Clinton regained a narrow lead, but after October 12, every poll except one ended with Trump winning or a tie. The average of the final three polls showed Trump leading 46% to 44%. The final poll showed Trump ahead 46% to 39%, which was accurate compared to the results.
Republican National Convention
From July 17 through the 20th, Cleveland hosted the
Republican Convention, which nominated
Donald Trump and
Mike Pence.
General election
Predictions
The following are final 2016 predictions from various organizations for Ohio as of Election Day.
Results
Official state results from the
Ohio Secretary of State are as follows
By county
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
*
Ashtabula
Ashtabula ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, and the center of the Ashtabula micropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie, northeast of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city ha ...
(largest city:
Ashtabula
Ashtabula ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, and the center of the Ashtabula micropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie, northeast of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city ha ...
)
*
Erie
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
(largest city:
Sandusky)
*
Montgomery (largest city:
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
)
*
Ottawa (largest city:
Port Clinton)
*
Portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
(largest city:
Kent)
*
Sandusky (largest city:
Fremont)
*
Stark (largest city:
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
)
*
Trumbull (largest city:
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
)
*
Wood (largest city:
Bowling Green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
)
By congressional district
Trump won 12 of 16 congressional districts.
See also
*
United States presidential elections in Ohio
Following is a table of United States presidential elections in Ohio, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1803, Ohio has participated in every U.S. presidential election.
Ohio is considered a swing state, being won by either the ...
*
Presidency of Donald Trump
*
2016 Democratic Party presidential debates and forums
Debates occurred among candidates in the campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for the president of the United States in the 2016 presidential election.
Several forums, in which candidates do not respond directly to each other, were la ...
*
2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for president in the 2016 United States presidential ...
*
2016 Republican Party presidential debates and forums
Twelve presidential debates and nine forums were held between the candidates for the Republican Party's nomination for president in the 2016 United States presidential election, starting on August 6th, 2015.
Presidential debates Schedule
The ...
*
2016 Republican Party presidential primaries
Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were s ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
RNC 2016 Republican Nominating Process
Green papers for 2016 primaries, caucuses, and conventionsDecision Desk Headquarter Results for OhioPrimary Election Results, Ohio Secretary of State
{{U.S. presidential primaries
Presidential
OH
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...