Ohio Matters will focus on six very different places across Ohio.
- Strong gun traditions coexist with school safety concerns in Jefferson County
- Ohio soy farmers hope Chinese tariff threats will lead to a better deal on Chinese trade
Donald Trump's presidential victory in Ohio uncovered new divides in the state. In response, the cleveland.com politics team will be reporting extensively on six very different areas of the state: farm country in Seneca County, the old industrial area in Jefferson County, rural Vinton County, Greene County with the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Columbus suburbs in Franklin County and the urban center of Cleveland in Cuyahoga County
The goal of this project is to provide readers with a better understanding of the microcosm that is Ohio. The state's diversity helps explain why Ohio voters have picked the presidential winner in each of the last 14 elections - a streak more than twice as long as any other state. Read more about this project!
View stories from each county:
How we plan to cover Donald Trump's presidency by examining its impact on Ohio
Steubenville and surrounding Jefferson County have become increasingly Republican as the steel and coal industries have declined in the once heavily Democratic region. Cleveland.com recently visited voters there to discuss what voters expect from President Donald Trump, who won the county by 35 points. Voters there who spoke with cleveland.com about what they expect from the Trump administration described him with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Read more about Jefferson County.
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Jefferson County
Explore Jefferson County by the numbers, from jobs and income to ancestry and religion.
Stories from Jefferson County
- Strong gun traditions coexist with school safety concerns in Jefferson County
- Hospital officials in Jefferson County say GOP health care plan would force them to cut jobs
- Voters in Jefferson County would like to see more from Donald Trump
- Workers at embattled Jefferson County coal plant look to Donald Trump to help their cause
- In struggling Jefferson County, Trump's proposed budget cuts would hit home
Voters in Cleveland say they have plenty of reasons why they're worried about Donald Trump. In a state that Trump won by 8 points, Cleveland and other heavily Democratic cities like it in Ohio occupy a separate political reality. Read more about Cleveland & Cuyahoga County.
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Cleveland
Explore Cleveland by the numbers, from income and poverty to population trends and voting history.
Stories from Cleveland & Cuyahoga County
- Ohio Dreamers watch Washington with hope, frustration
- Clevelanders express disappointment over Trump's immigration comments
- Ohio DREAMers react to Trump's evolving stance on immigration
- Cleveland mother worried what Medicaid changes will mean for her diabetic daughter
- Trump's 'religious freedom' executive order isn't winning over black ministers in Cleveland
- Cleveland voters pan Donald Trump's first 100 days
- Longtime Cleveland boat captain worries elimination of Great Lakes cleanup program would turn the clock back on pollution
- Cleveland couple, covered under Medicaid expansion, have much to lose in healthcare debate
About 55,600 people live in Seneca County, an agricultural community about 90 miles west of Cleveland in Northwest Ohio. Typical conservative values and ideals reign in this region. But one issue crops up regularly in daily life here: Trade. Read more about Seneca County.
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Seneca County
Explore Seneca County by the numbers, from income and education to farm production and ancestry.
Stories from Seneca County
- Ohio soy farmers hope Chinese tariff threats will lead to a better deal on Chinese trade
- It's not easy being a Democrat in Trump country
- In rural Northwest Ohio, more important things to worry about than Russia
- Seneca County largely likes what it sees from Trump
- Seneca County farmers don't like Obama water rule
- Seneca County farmers see value in Lake Erie programs Donald Trump wants to cut
Demographically, Ohio's Greene County is a combination of thriving suburban sprawl and traditional rural landscape. But politically, the county, just east of Dayton, is almost uniformly Republican. Read more about Greene County.
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Greene County
Explore Greene County by the numbers, from income and education to population and voting history.
Stories from Greene County
- Military community finds NFL protests during anthem disrespectful
- Donald Trump's presidency brings relief to Greene County gun supporters
- On Suburban Drive, Donald Trump's controversies aren't hurting him
- Donald Trump's foreign policy attracts, repels Greene County voters
- Greene County Muslims worry Donald Trump's presidency emboldens racists
- Neil Gorsuch confirmation fight brings shrugs in conservative Greene County
- Trump's immigration policies mean uncertain future for Wright State international students
- Business leaders near Wright-Patterson hope for boost with Trump's military spending plan
Vinton County, like most of Appalachian Ohio, strongly supported Donald Trump for president last November. More than seven out of 10 voters in the county cast their ballots for him.Read more about Vinton County.
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Vinton County
Explore Vinton County by the numbers, from income and poverty to ancestry and voting history.
Stories from Vinton County
- In Vinton County, high-speed Internet is often still a pipe dream
- What would it take for Vinton County Trump backers to stop supporting him? Nuclear war, perhaps
- Richard Nixon's Vinton County relative isn't sure about Trump
- Donald Trump's strong support in Vinton County erodes, but only slightly
- In pro-Trump Vinton County, Obamacare repeal could bring major consequences
- After years of waiting, ground breaks for a grocery store in Vinton County
Franklin County as a whole went decisively for Clinton, who got 60 percent of the vote. The county used to be solidly Republican, but has voted Democratic in each presidential race beginning with Bill Clinton's election in 1996. Read more about Franklin County.
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Franklin County
Explore Franklin County by the numbers, from income and education to population and ancestry.
Stories from Franklin County