AP calls Ohio for Trump, repeating 2016 win

The Associated Press has declared Donald Trump the winner over former Vice President Joe Biden in Ohio, repeating his 2016 win.

No Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio, and no Democrat has done so since John F. Kennedy in 1960.

The AP called the race with Donald Trump receiving just over 3 million votes to Joe Biden’s roughly 2.5 million, giving Trump a more than 8% lead as of 12:28 a.m.

Trump receives Ohio’s 18 electoral votes, which comes after many had expected the Buckeye State to be out of reach for Democrats because Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 here by 8 percentage points.

In the summer, polls showed the race tightening, and Biden invested more time and money into Ohio.

Trump responded with more frequent trips to Ohio.

Trump won Montgomery County in 2016 but appears to have lost it in 2020, according to unofficial results with some outstanding ballot remaining to be counted.

Voter turnout was high this year, with 3.4 million Ohioans taking advantage of early voting by mail and in person. Early voter totals this year were 180% of the prior early voter record.