Rural-urban political divide widens; Ohio is an example

USA Today map; click on the image to enlarge it

Party politics have changed in Ohio and across the country, with the times and the demographics. "Democrats have lost ground in rural areas and Republicans have a hard time winning in urban areas," Jackie Borchardt and Céilí Doyle report for The Columbus Dispatch. "The best predictor of whether a state will vote red or blue is whether more people live in urban areas vs. rural places, said Will Wilkinson, vice president for research at the Niskanen Center, a moderate D.C. think tank."

USA Today journalists explored how the political leanings of four Ohio counties have changed over the past 20 years, including a discussion of the rural-urban political divide and what it might take to bridge the gap. "Most people spoke of national politics that don't reflect the cities and small towns they live and work in, as well as frustrations about the way in which their communities are represented," Borchardt and Doyle report.

Presidential-election votes in Hamilton (Cincinnati) and Franklin (Columbus) counties trended more Democratic between 1996 and 2016, while Scioto and Monroe counties, more rural, became more conservative, Borchardt and Doyle report. Read more here.