As the 2020 election kicks into gear, political analysts have argued that Ohio could be a lost cause to Democrats, but one columnist disagrees.
According to Vanity Fair's Peter Hamby, recent polls indicate Democrats shouldn't write it off just yet.
"As Democrats bring their next primary debate to Ohio on Tuesday, they're grappling with whether the new Republican dominance in those industrial and rural pockets has pushed Ohio out of their reach," the Associated Press reported Monday. "Some Democratic presidential campaigns are contemplating once unheard-of White House victory scenarios that leave out Ohio. The storied swing state — a place that sided with the winning presidential candidate in all but one election since 1944 — seems likely to be eclipsed by Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in next year's election."
Hamby, however, sees things as tighter, particularly as President Donald Trump spirals into an impeachment meltdown.
New PPP polling shows Trump down against a generic Democrat and trailing former Vice President Joe Biden. He's also tied with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). That's a significant evolution for Trump, who won the state in 2016 by 8 points.
47-48% - President Trump trails generic Democrat48-46% - Trump trails Biden
47-47% - Trump ties with both Warren and Sanders
“As Democrats gather to debate in Ohio, these results show that Ohio will once again be a battleground in 2020, and any Democrat would be foolish to write off our state,” said Innovation Ohio President Janetta King. “Given his unpopularity with Ohio voters, it is clear that President Trump’s failures and broken promises are catching up with him in the state.”
Trump's team might be shopping for voters in a blue state like New Mexico, but Ohio could be a problem for Trump. King went on to call it a "must win" for the president if he intends to claim victory in 2020. Presumably, if Ohio goes blue, more progressive states like Wisconsin and Michigan will already be lost.
