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Sixteen years ago, six of the eight Northeast Ohio counties voted Democrat, electing Barack Obama president.
Twelve years ago, five voted Democratic. Eight years ago, three. And four years ago, two: the reliably blue Cuyahoga and Summit counties, home to the region’s biggest cities.
Why? And how will they vote in November?
To gauge how the residents of Lorain, Medina, Cuyahoga, Summit, Lake, Geauga, Portage and Ashtabula counties feel on the eve of this presidential election, cleveland.com compiled loads of data on their demographics, land use, businesses, education and more.
And then our reporters talked to people. We didn’t just call elected officials or stop in at a coffee shop to interview the first friendly customer we could find. We sought out community leaders who understand the hopes of their neighbors as they cast their ballots.
Take Ashtabula County, where Jessica Leveto, a sociology and criminology professor at Kent State-Ashtabula for more than a dozen years, said this: “This county is not necessarily a red or a blue, and it never has been. But it is very much a county that is often forgotten, underserved in a lot of ways.”
Ashtabula residents, they told Marc Bona, put their community before the country.
Over the next several weeks, you’ll hear what every county in Northeast Ohio has to say.
— Laura
Browns at Philadelphia Eagles: Browns self-destruct in 20-16 loss to Eagles, fall to 1-5 as their season starts to slip away
Guardians at New York Yankees: Game 1, ALCS, 7:38 p.m. today, Yankee Stadium, New York. TV: TBS, truTV, Max. Radio: WTAM AM/1100, WKNR AM/850, WMMS FM/100.7.
Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Showers and thunderstorms
Ashtabula’s outlook: Ashtabula is a rural crook in Ohio’s northeast corner, Marc Bona reports. But its makeup is a diverse amalgamation of farming, traditional manufacturing and modern businesses like Spire Academy.
Medina: Most people think Medina County will be some shade of red again this November, Sean McDonnell reports, especially residents and business owners impacted by inflation.
Supreme Court: Ohio voters will select the second crop of new Supreme Court justices since Republican lawmakers mandated that top judges run under partisan affiliations, reports Jake Zuckerman. With control of the court on the line, the Republican slate seems well-aware of its advantage.
Senate race: It’s a time-honored tradition for political campaigns to “go negative,” as research says it works. Ohioans are getting the bitterest taste of it this year in the U.S. Senate race between Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno, Jeremy Pelzer writes.
Today in Ohio: East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King was indicted Thursday on charges that accuse him of stealing $75,000 in city taxpayer money. King is the latest in a long line of East Cleveland officials accused of crimes. We’re talking about what it means for the city and its residents on Today in Ohio, our daily half-hour news podcast.
1/16
Ballots rejected: Citing Ohioans flubbing their own signature or mixing up “today’s date” with their “date of birth,” election officials in Ohio already have rejected thousands of absentee ballot applications, Jake Zuckerman reports.
Poll about politicians: Ohioans roundly believe their state and federal politicians fail to do a good job representing their views, Courtney Astolfi reports. A new Baldwin Wallace University poll of 877 registered voters sought to capture how well the policies and priorities of Ohio’s political leaders align with their constituents.
Counting votes: Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Ohio secretary of state’s decision to not count any votes cast for her this year because of a purported withdrawal letter filed by her running mate, Jeremy Pelzer reports.
Gerrymandering: As Ohioans weigh a proposed state constitutional amendment that would remove elected politicians from drawing state legislative and congressional maps as a way to avoid partisan district lines, a new Baldwin Wallace University poll finds 69% of Ohio voters oppose drawing district lines to deliberately favor one party or another, Sabrina Eaton reports.
Ballot confusion: Those who’ve voted early in the Nov. 5 election pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump may have noticed that the candidates’ names appear on the ballot in a peculiar order, Cory Shaffer reports.
Mayor indictment: Mayor Brandon King on Thursday became the latest East Cleveland official in a long list of city leaders to face criminal charges or be accused of misconduct. He is the impoverished city’s third current or former mayor in 20 years to face criminal charges, Lucas Daprile reports.
Lead poisoning: Five years after City Hall passed a law meant to better protect young children against the dangers of lead paint exposure, there’s been no change in the rate of Cleveland kids getting poisoned, Courtney Astolfi writes. In fact, cases in Cleveland increased between 2022 and 2023, according to new city data released Friday.
Bicyclist killed: A 9-year-old boy was killed and a 10-year-old boy was injured when the bicycles they were riding collided with a Jeep in Elyria, Cliff Pinckard reports.
1/62
Northern Lights: The Aurora Borealis returned to the upper U.S. and were visible in Northern Ohio on Thursday night. Photographer David Petkiewicz shares some of the spectacular images he captured.
Trans rights: Large majorities of Ohio voters reject protections for transgender people, according to Baldwin Wallace University’s new Ohio Pulse Poll released Wednesday, Julie Washington reports.
Racist threat: A Lodi man was sentenced to three years of probation this week for sending a racist threat to a district attorney in New Mexico, Adam Ferrise reports.
County employee arrested: A former Geauga County Water Resources employee pleaded guilty to accepting cash from a vendor that the department used for years as its backup IT support, Adam Ferrise reports.
Grocery robbery: A couple staged a violent armed robbery at a Marc’s grocery store in Euclid in what officials called “an inside job,” Adam Ferrise reports.
Murder conviction: A Copley man was found guilty Friday of killing three people and attempting to kill a fourth, Lucas Daprile reports.
Rock Hall exhibit: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2024 Inductee Exhibit officially opened Friday to get folks hyped about the Induction Ceremony, which happens Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Malcolm X Abram reports.
1/22
Golden opportunity: Megan Sims reports the rain did not dampen the excitement of Sunday’s “Golden Retriever Meetup” Quarry Hill Orchards in Berlin Heights, a free event brought together by proud goldie owners Emily Roggenburk and Brynn Szorady.
Restaurant closing: The Green Kitchen, a vegan restaurant that started as a pop-up concept, has announced it will permanently close, Alex Darus reports.
Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.
— Curated by content director Laura Johnston with contributions by by Cliff Pinckard.
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