Ohio

Ohio joined the Union in March 1803 under the Northwest Ordinance and participated in the presidential election in the same year.

In 2004, George W Bush won the state by a margin of 2% over John Kerry, and in 2016, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 8 points. This was the largest margin in the state since 1988. Trump nearly repeated this margin in 2020, winning by about 8 points over Joe Biden.

Ohio has a history of siding with the winning candidate in presidential elections, though this streak was broken in 2020 when Trump won the state but failed to win the White House.

The state had 18 electoral votes in the 2020 election but will have 17 in the 2024 election due to slower population growth.

The name “Ohio” comes from the Ohio River, which forms part of the southern border of the state. The river's name derives from the Seneca language, meaning “great river” or “large creek.” The region was inhabited by indigenous peoples long before European contact, with evidence of settlement dating back thousands of years.