Baby boomers, if you are looking for a snapshot of where the 2016 Presidential election may be decided, look to Columbus, Ohio. The race is neck and neck, and Ohio may in fact be the bell weather state that most elections hinge on.
A Republican has never won without carrying Ohio, and most experts believe that this election will be no different.
The Trump campaign faces some headwinds. The governor of Ohio, John Kasich, is a Republican and he is popular in the state, which would normally be a help to Trump.
There is one problem with this theory though: Kasich and Trump are like oil and water.
So Governor Kasich becomes a wild card in the 2016 election. Furthermore, the Republican senator up for election in 2016, Rob Portman, seems to be comfortably ahead and he can't seem to even utter the name “Donald Trump.”
So if Donald J. Trump wins Ohio, and the presidency, he may have to do the heavy lifting himself. Maybe Trump should hang out with Urban Meyer, the famed football coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
When the legendary Basketball coach Bob Knight helped Trump win the Indiana primary, it seemed the most convenient of all endorsements.
Of course the Hillary Clinton Campaign has plenty of worries of their own in the Buckeye state. It seems that working class people throughout the state of Ohio just can't stomach this former first lady and senator. Many in Ohio also just don't seem to value her years of experience as secretary of state.
You see, Ohio people tend to have those pesky Midwest values. It is a place where traits like honesty and integrity seem to count for something, and many voters in Ohio seem to think Mrs. Clinton is void of ethics.
Talk to baby boomers in Ohio, and they say things like “the Clintons have been around for a long time.” Sometimes when you know someone for a long time they are like a pair of slippers you have had for a long time — comfortable in every way. But sometimes when you know of someone for a long time, you are reminded of all the reasons you didn't like someone in the first place.
For baby boomers it might bring about mixed feelings similar to what they experience when attending high school reunions and realizing that some people never change.
Ohio is the tale of two states. On one hand there are the many manufacturing jobs that have gone by the wayside, and on the other hand you have the booming heath care industry that employs so many Ohioans. There are the Democratic strong holds in and around Cleveland, but the Republicans also have their rural pockets with strong loyalty.
But in the end, it may be the capital city of Columbus and the surrounding Franklin County that you want to watch. Many baby boomers who are marketing professionals know that for years, Columbus , Ohio has been one of the premier test marketing areas for products.
It is where “Angie's List” got its start, where Wendy's was founded, and where Jack Nicklaus's father owned a pharmacy. Well in 2016, in November, Columbus will once again take center stage — for it will be a hotly contested area that may determine who our next president will be.
So if you live in Columbus, Ohio and you watch television, or go to get your mail each day, or if you answer you door, then you will be popular. Young campaign workers will be canvassing your neighborhood. Who knows, maybe Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will stop over at your house for coffee.
Rick Bava founded and was CEO of the Bava Group, which became the premier communications consulting firm serving the Fortune 500 community. Bava became known for his popular blog columns “Rick Bava on the Baby Boomer Generation.” He is the author of "In Search of the Baby Boomer Generation." For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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