Mapped: Trump, Harris are giving Ohio the cold shoulder
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Ohio was once the most-visited state for presidential candidates. Now we've become flyover country.
Why it matters: Thanks to the Electoral College, presidential campaigns run through only a handful of states viewed as being up for grabs.
- In this election cycle, at least, the candidates aren't concerned about our millions of votes.
State of play: Neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Trump have visited Ohio since August, per an Axios analysis of their travel itineraries.
- Recent polls have Trump leading Harris here by an average of 7% — too big a margin for us to be a contested swing state.
The big picture: The candidates made a combined 40 visits to Pennsylvania and Michigan since August and a grand total of zero to 36 non-swing states.
Flashback: It didn't used to be this way.
- In 2012, Ohio was the most-visited state for Republican nominee Mitt Romney (51 visits) and Democratic President Barack Obama (22), per ABC News.
- We also led the nation in advertisements and Obama field offices.
🤔 What we're watching: If Ohio returns to being a swing state in future election cycles without Trump on the ballot.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Harris and Trump have made 40 combined visits to Pennsylvania and Michigan, not 30.