The Associated Press and NBC have called the Ohio Democratic primary for Hillary Clinton after an upset in Michigan put the state up for grabs.
The race was forecasted to be close with Clinton up just a little over six points heading into election day, according to TPM’s PollTracker’s Average.
As TPM pointed out in a previous story, the demographics and economy that allowed Sanders to win in Michigan last year were also present in Ohio. As in Michigan, trade was expected to be a major issue in the state. Sanders has made Clinton’s embrace of free trade a core criticism of the former secretary of state’s campaign and with the auto industry and factory jobs struggling to recover in Michigan, that resonated.
For Sanders, Ohio represented momentum, a chance to keep moving and keep the race competitive even as Clinton has amassed a strong delegate advantage. But for Clinton, Ohio represented a chance to make her lead more definitive, to lock up the nomination and turn her focus toward the Republicans,
In the days leading into the primary, both Clinton and Sanders devoted a lot of their time to campaigning in Ohio. The candidates even both wooed the crowd earlier in the week at the Ohio Democratic Party’s Legacy dinner. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned in Ohio for Hillary Clinton just a day after Sanders beat her in Michigan, a sign of just how serious the Clinton campaign took Sanders’ challenge in the state.
