The price of gas at the Marathon gas station in Port Clinton was $3.39 a gallon on Feb. 22 whenDave Beggs, anarmy veteran and retired City of Port Clinton heavy equipment operator, pulled in. The economy and good-paying jobs always have been an issue up here.. But theyre happy with that and theyre proud of what they created. Unbridled Evil: The Corrupt Reign of Jiang Zemin in China. The county, located along the Illinois border, has a mix of rural and urban demographics. Epoch Times Canada (@EpochTimesCan) November 16, 2020. Trump wasnt Tom TO Fitchs first choice in the 2016 primaryhe voted for Sen. Ted Cruz. To find out more about cookies and change your preferences, visit our, looked to ten allegedly bellwether counties, The Russia-Ukraine War: a challenge to international order, Global Energy Politics and Cost of Living Crisis, The New Normal: a dual track approach to health strategy and policy, Inside the Deal: how the EU got Brexit done. I think all politicians are crooks. The median household annual income is approximately, In 2016, nearly 100 million eligible Americans didnt vote. March 1, 2022 Updated: March 3, 2022 Print It could be said that Ottawa County is one of the top bellwether counties in Ohio, if not the country. Half the people are just wearing rags on top of their face. Washington state's Clallam County was the outlier, backing Joe Biden in a state he won by more than 19 points. It also has a failing manufacturing sector with once Democratic-leaning union workers who may have found Trumps America First message appealing in recent years. As the 2022 mid-term elections near (May 3 in Ohio), one might think that the Republican and Democratic headquarters might be open and in full swing, but at both party offices the week of Feb. 21, the lights were out and no one was occupying the desks inside or answering the phones. You expect the price of things to go up, thats inflation for you, Tammy said. State residents are awaiting a ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court about whether it will approve the newly proposed congressional map that the Ohio Redistricting Commission submitted to the high court earlier this month. We have to figure out a way to control fuel prices. Hamilton had already cast his vote for Biden on the first day of early voting. He is just outspoken and doesnt filter what he is saying.. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Im not happy with either party. Its kind of like used-car salesmen: if their lips are moving, theyre probably lying.. Finally, numerical bellwether scores for all 3142 counties in the US were computed based upon the number of . I am under that impression. Its difficult to have a conversation nowadays without really stirring up emotions, and thats probably my main issue, Hamilton told The Epoch Times as he stood in downtown Terre Haute. Although longtime county residents say that Wood County is in pretty good shape overallas there has been some recent industrial development on its north sideit also has been affected by national issues such as inflation, the price of gasoline, supply chain issues, and workforce shortages. He voted for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and said hed vote for him again if he were the Republican nominee. We believe that there are two main reasons. Ever since COVID started, it hasnt gotten any better.. Thus, as polarization rises, the potential for counties shifting their mean party preference across different elections declines. What happened to our Democratic Party? Titchner, a Vietnam veteran, has been painting houses for 45 years and said he votes based on the candidate, rather than the party. Wood (population 132,248), and Ottawa, are known as bellwether counties for picking the presidential candidate who wins the White Housebut it is uncertain whether Wood County can maintain. Blaine County. But the thing that stuck out in my head, every time I read or listened to anything about [Obamas] policies, I saw such a deep revival of division, causing division between the blacks and the whites again, Jacobs said on Sept. 17. The Epoch Times spoke with some voters in Terre Haute and surrounding towns on Oct. 20 to get a glimpse of the bellwether mood ahead of the presidential election. Taking the pulse in Vigo County, Indiana, which has voted for the presidential winner in all but two elections over the past century, Cara is an Orange County, New York-based Epoch Times reporter. She only voted once, at the urging of her husband, when they got married about 30 years ago. Longtime Bowling Green resident Doug Miller, a conservative and Donald Trump supporter who works as a chief operating officer for a heavy-duty trucking company in nearby Fremont, said the company, which was heavily affected during the pandemic, is still navigating challenges. Why are you trying so hard to get this one guy out of office? he said of the disproven Russian collusion accusations and the presidents impeachment. Bellwether Counties Went Overwhelmingly for Trump in 2020 Teresa Shepherd, resident of the Indiana bellwether county of Vigo, in front of her daughter's house in Seelyville, Ind., on Oct. 20,. The county is more white than the rest of the nationabout, nationally, according to census data. In economics, a 'bellwether' is a leading indicator of an economic trend. bellwether counties epoch timesjury duty summons date vs reporting date Get Business Credit and Financing To Grow Your Business!!! The upper Midwest, upstate New York, and northern New England are home to a disproportionate share of high scoring counties, they said. I mean the whole world ought to be mad at China, we should all be going to war against them. Hes organizing a Second Amendment rally in Ridgway for Oct. 17 to make sure gun rights are fresh in peoples minds when they head to the ballot box. The median household annual income is approximately $20,000 less in the county than it is nationally. Natural gas is a key ingredient in the process used to make the nitrogen-based fertilizer used on crops such as corn and wheat. Its just not that great, Paul said. We need to make ourselves energy independent again. Now, its the situation with Russias invasion of Ukraine and how that might affect the world and its economies. For the first time in as long as she can remember, since becoming a registered voter 35 years ago, all three county commissioners are Republicans. They are not even the regular masks to filter it out. In a 2020 article, Daniel Zimny-Schmitt and Michael Harris look for bellwether counties in the period 1980-2016 and identify nineteen such. Bellwethers arent a crystal balltheir streak was expected to end sooner or later. In politics, a "bellwether" refers to a geographic area whose political beliefs and voting preferences reflect that of a wider area. In the May 3 primary, theres also a mix of familiar names with new candidates on the ballot. I vote for whomever I think is going to do the better job, whether they are a Democrat or a Republican. Ottawa County in Ohio has been on target every four years since 1964, and Bexar County in Texas (San Antonio) has had only one miss since 1928 (preferring the Democrat Hubert Humphrey in 1968). For much of the last decade, historically Republican suburban areas in Franklin, Ohio,. Theres too much mishandling, she said. The 19 bellwether counties are highlighted in red. And we just want that to continue. Jacobs, 58, a gift store manager in Ridgway, said she voted for Obama but didnt follow politics closely at the time. Nothing is free, Hawker said. Racine County, WI might be the single best bellwether: if it called all the elections with missing data elections correctly, it would have 86% correct. Carol Jacobs in Ridgway, Elk County, Penn., on Sept. 17, 2020. Its going to affect trucking, farming, everything. Sam, who is a truck driver for Four City Technologies in Wellington but lives in Marblehead, said he drives about 400 miles a day to deliver bolts, nuts, and screws used in the auto industry. Thats about 43 percent of the eligible voters in the country, according to a. of nonvoters overseen by professors at Tufts University and Stony Brook University. Right after we saw the results of the election and that Trump had lost, we were all like, what the hell?, said Tammy, a bartender at Wee Willys Sports Pub in Marblehead. The Wall Street Journal and The Epoch Times independently analyzed the results of 19 counties around the United States that have nearly perfect presidential voting records over the last 40 years. Greg Abbott of Texas as a possible presidential candidate. Armagost was lucky during the shutdowns, as bike shop repairs and maintenance were considered essential and he remained in business. Just like a hurricane, you can try to prepare for it the best you can, but you never know what kind of damage it is going to cause. Were not going to be able to afford this Democratic regime. When Republican Dr. Ted Bowlus defeated Democrat Joel Kuhlman in the 2016 election, it completed a single-party commission. He said hes concerned but hopeful for the future. Given the global context of Russias invasion of Ukraine, they believe higher gas prices and inflation is coming, and theyre not happy about it. Fitch, who grew up in foster homes and went on to put himself through college, has owned and run the Summit Fireside Lodge and Grill for 32 years. Since its founding in 1853 it has only got 13 out of the 37 extant elections right. One major planned project in Wood County pulled outPeloton, an exercise bike and interactive exercise equipment manufacturer. . In addition to seeing a 25 percent increase in fuel costs in the past year, the company has resorted to buying used trucks instead of new ones when it needs them. Unfortunately, however, neither of the reasons for why we might think that previous bellwethers will continue to be bellwethers is valid. This includes personalizing content and advertising. I dont think he has done that bad of a job. Theres too much corruption. Only 1 of 17 bellwether counties went for Biden this year! Things have been bad for so long, they dont care.. Moreover, if we look at the political features of the bellwethers, we do not find them exclusively among counties that are highly politically competitive. Median household incomes range from $65,000 in Bremer County, Iowa, to $32,000 in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Farming also is a big part of Wood County's make up in northwest Ohio. Perhaps that is why they are a true bellwether county, not fully committing to one political party over the other. We have loads that sometimes dont cover the fuel costs., During the COVID pandemic, nobody was on the roads. March 1, 2023 8:28 PM PT. On Sept. 14, a federal judge ruled Wolfs shutdown and restrictions on businesses unconstitutional, but the governor has since appealed. The simple answer is that chance effects can be much greater than most people realize. One such claim is that Trumps victories in 2020 in the vast bulk of the counties that had previously been labeled as bellwethers proved that Trump really won the election and was denied the victory because of fraud. Sawyer County, Wisconsin, and Clallam County, Washington, have substantial Native American populations, the authors said. Because the man made a lot of promises in 2016, and I think that he stood up and he kept every one of those promises that he could possibly keep, said Ron Fannin, 69, the local courthouse supervisor. They were particularly representative in 2012, when the average 1980-to-2016 bellwether county was just 0.8 points more Democratic than the nation. That is, until this year. Many counties in states that have reliably voted for one party for many cycles are home to counties which have almost always voted for the winner of the election; for example, South Carolina has two strong bellwether counties despite being a reliably Republican state, and California has a number of strong bellwethers in its central valley despite being a reliably Democratic state.. But as for America, I feel he would do the best job.. Because of supply chain issues, its also difficult to find parts, Miller said. bellwether. The cost of my prescriptions has gone through the roof. Another Ridgway resident said hes more enthusiastic to vote for Trump this year. Robert Ellithorpe, an 84-year-old great grandfather, and Navy aviation veteran said he believed the 2020 presidential election was legitimate and Biden received 80 million votes. The indirect evidence for election fraud rests on various statistical claims about the high level of improbability of certain features of the 2020 election. Im seeing more hate for this man than he has hated anyone, Tisdell said. Copyright 2000 - 2023 The Epoch Times Association Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ive got opinions, but I just dont voice them, I keep to myself, he said, adding that its better for business. Meanwhile, Miller and Zulch voiced their support for restarting the Keystone XL pipeline to help the United States return to energy independence and provide oil to European countries experiencing gas shortages and high prices.