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Ohio Trump Supporters Express Concern, Uncertainty With Biden Presidency

Ohio Public Radio

President-elect Biden won his race without carrying Ohio.

That means for the first time in 60 years, the state didn't help pick the president, leaving millions of voters hoping the election had gone the other way. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow looks at what a Biden presidency means to Trump supporters in Red parts of the country.  

On a sunny morning in downtown Chillicothe, Melissa Martin is 8 feet in the air, perched on top of scaffolding set up along the sidewalk.  

  

"I'm repainting the front of my business." 

  

Along this popular strip of Chillicothe, a city of about 21,000 people 50 miles south of Columbus, Martin is about to open a new shop.  

  

"It's actually three, Bee Sweets Candies, Sweet and Sassy Party Rooms, and Free Spirit Threads Boutique."  

  

Martin says this new venture would not be possible without the past four years of Donald Trump as president.  

  

"Let's put it this way. At the end of the Obama term, I was ready to go out of business. After 8 years of Obama."  

  

Martin says that's because Trump created tax reform and cut down on regulations that improved the market and her own confidence in the economy. She says the idea of a Biden presidency doesn’t sit well with her.  

  

"I'm scared for our taxes. They believe small businesses have all this money, which we don't. They're ready to tax the crap out of us, the Democrats are."  

  

Rita Lewis, who drives an hour every day to work for Martin, is underneath the scaffolding, giving the trim around the store's doorway a new coat of paint.  

  

Lewis is also a Trump supporter and says her number one issue is abortion. 

  

"And I think that the Democratic Party is going in the wrong direction with that. I have a problem with that."  

  

Chillicothe is in Ross County, which Trump won with 66% of the vote. Trump won Ohio, usually seen as a swing state, by an 8-point margin over Biden.    

  

Tracey Winbush, former Ohio Republican Party treasurer is from Mahoning County an historically Democratic stronghold that flipped for Trump this year.

 

"What I saw on election night is that the Mahoning Valley is growing up and finding out that not all politics are one sided. And so when you have a balanced political system you have a strong system, and a strong government and you have strong leadership. Because you need to to sharpen each other by a different perspective, yet work together."

 

Winbush has the same concerns about a Biden presidency but says she sees some hope with Biden's message of unity.   

  

"47 years is a long time and he said that we was gonna cross the aisle, he said that he's gonna work with us. I can only take him at his word and pray that he's had a change of heart and he's going to do that."   

  

Out of everyone I spoke to in Chillicothe for this story no one wanted to talk about a perceived Biden presidency without making it known that they're not convinced Biden will end up in the White House on January 20.   

  

Along with the economy and abortion, Trump supporters are also concerned about what a Biden presidency does to national security and immigration. 

 

Pat Highland is sitting on a bench as his granddaughter enjoys a treat from the ice cream shop he owns. 

  

Highland, a Biden supporter, knows he's outnumbered in his own community. But he holds out hope that this city and the country can come together.  

  

"Everybody has their opinion. But I think in the end run, everybody will feel that it's necessary for us to all get together. And it's there's some things the Republicans want to accomplish and the things the Democrats there's no reason we can't do that." 

  

Republican Governor Mike DeWine said he congratulates Vice President Joe Biden but stopped short of recognizing his electoral win. Instead, DeWine along with other Republican officeholders, have been waiting to recognize the results until after Trump's legal actions play out.  

 

 

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
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