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US presidential spotlight shines on industrial Ohio

The presidential spotlight shines on this Midwestern industrial state every four years and for good reason. As Ohio goes, so goes the nation -- at least for the past 44 years.

Given the storied history and high stakes, it is easy to see why Ohio, in primaries and general elections alike, always seems to host races that are hard fought, if not determinative.

This year is shaping up as more of the same.

"You're going to grow probably weary of seeing me in Ohio," likely Republican nominee John McCain told voters last week as he campaigned throughout the state. He mentioned at every turn that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio.

Not to be outdone, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton -- Democrats competing for the chance to face the Arizona senator -- repeatedly played to Ohio's pride of having chosen the eventual president in every election since 1964.

Republicans, Democrats and independent analysts expect a neck-and-neck contest again for the state's 20 electoral votes in November. Ohio tipped the election to US President George W. Bush four years ago and could be poised for another high-profile role.

A recent Ohio Poll by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research showed that no matter which Democrat won yesterday's hotly contested primary, the general election race will be tight. Each Democrat is in a virtual tie with McCain in hypothetical head-to-head matchups.

So, what exactly makes Ohio so closely divided politically and such a strong barometer of the US' pulse?

The reason goes back to the state's creation as part of the Northwest Territory in 1803.

Liberal-leaning New Englanders traveled west to settle Northern Ohio, while conservative-tilting Virginians moved up to inhabit Southern Ohio.

Over the years, unions established a major presence across the state's industrial north as steel mills, tire factories and other blue-collar jobs flourished along Lake Erie. Small businesses and agriculture were the norm in the south and elsewhere.

Today, there's a Republican stronghold in the southwest, a Democratic bastion in the northeast and swing-voting regions everywhere else that, like the nation, vacillate between electing Republicans and Democrats.

Meanwhile, Obama was seeking a knockout blow against rival Clinton as voting began yesterday in the crucial races in Texas as well as Ohio, where the former first lady desperately need a win to salvage her once-powerful candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Voters in two other states -- Vermont and Rhode Island -- also cast ballots yesterday in contests that offer a total of 370 delegates.
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