Ohio voter puzzle: Why some Trump fans still back this Democratic senator
In rust-belt Ohio a unique political mix-up is happening as some Trump supporters plan to vote for Democratic Senator Brown. Local voters share their thoughts on this unusual voting pattern
In Austintown Ohio‚ contractor Tom McGuire shows how complex modern voting patterns can be - he supports both Trump and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. “When you see all the ads on TV‚ [Moreno] barely talks about anything that hes doing“ McGuire says while loading groceries in his Cleveland Browns cap
The political landscape in Ohio has changed big-time since 12 years ago when it was a key battleground state. Now Brown needs to get votes from both Trump supporters and his traditional base to win his 4th term - something no Democratic Senate candidate has done in a Trump-won state
The race between Brown and Bernie Moreno is getting lots of attention (and hundreds-of-millions in campaign money). Brown has done well in educated areas like Columbus where he got better results with each election; however this time he needs more than just city votes
The Mahoning Valley shows how hard it is for Democrats nowadays. This area used to be super-Democratic but now its different:
- Trump won it in 2020 - first Republican since Nixon
- Union membership isnt as strong as before
- Cultural issues are pushing some voters away
- Many former Democrats now support Republicans
Weʼd show clips of Tim Ryan talking about cutting taxes or whatever‚ fighting for workers and youd get people whod say ʼWow I love him I want to vote for him.ʼ And then youd inform them hes a Democrat and theyd go ʼOh I cant vote for a Democratʼ
Brown - who drives union-made cars and wears a canary pin to show support for workers - faces tough competition from car-dealer Moreno. The race might come down to places like Delaware County where voters recently supported abortion rights by 19 points
