Summary
Despite broken promises like the return of factory jobs, Donald Trump continues to gain support in Ohio’s rust belt, including Youngstown, a former Democratic stronghold.
Voters feel abandoned by both parties but resonate with Trump’s anti-establishment rhetoric and perceived authenticity.
Economic decline, disillusionment with political elites, and anger over issues like trade deals and student debt forgiveness fuel their frustration.
Many voters believe Trump’s willingness to “tear down the system” aligns with their grievances, even as doubts remain about his solutions.
Their bitterness reflects decades of industrial decline and neglect.
A functional voting system that allowed for the success of third parties in the United States would be great. Unfortunately, without ranked choice voting, voting for a third party candidate just means splitting the vote for one’s next-preferred candidate. The most recent example of this would be George H. W. Bush’s re-election loss in 1992, due in part to Ross Perot’s popularity as a third-party candidate.
As things stand, the pragmatic choice is therefore to vote for the lesser of two evils. While I’d vote for a third-party candidate in a heartbeat if they had a realistic chance of winning, when the choice is a isolationist, corrupt, bigoted felon or anyone else, the easy choice is anyone else.