Misplaced Pages

2016 Ohio Democratic presidential primary

← 2008 March 15, 2016 (2016-03-15) 2020 →

Candidate Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders Home state New York Vermont Delegate count 81 62 Popular vote 696,681 535,395 Percentage 56.12% 43.13%

Results by county: Clinton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Sanders:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Elections in Ohio
Federal government U.S. President 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 Dem 2008 Dem Rep 2012 Rep 2016 Dem Rep 2020 Dem 2024 Rep U.S. Senate 1803 1807 1808 1808 (sp) 1809 (sp) 1810 (sp) 1812 1813 1814 (sp) 1815 1819 1821 1822 (sp) 1824 1827 1828 (sp) 1830 1833 1836 1837 1838 1842 1844 1849 1851 1854 1856 1860 1861 (sp) 1863 1866 1868 1872 1874 1877 (sp) 1880 1881 1884 1886 1890 1892 1896 1897 (sp) 1898 1902 1904 1904 (sp) 1909 1911 1914 1916 1920 1922 1926 1928 1928 (sp) 1930 (sp) 1932 1934 1938 1940 1944 1946 1946 (sp) 1950 1952 1954 (sp) 1956 1958 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024 2026 (sp) 2028 U.S. House of Representatives 1803 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1813 sp: 3 sp: 6 1814 1816 sp: 1 1818 1820 1821 sp: 4 1822 1824 1826 sp: 10 1827 sp: 8 1828 sp: 6 1830 sp: 11 1832 1834 sp: 1 sp: 19 1836 1837 sp: 17 1838 sp: 16 sp: 19 1840 sp: 4 1842 sp: 16 1843 1844 sp: 10 sp: 21 1846 1847 sp: 7 1848 1849 sp: 6 1850 1851 sp: 6 1852 1854 1856 1858 1859 sp: 14 1860 1861 sp: 7 sp: 13 1862 1864 1866 1867 sp: 2 1868 sp: 8 1870 sp: 10 1872 sp: 1 1874 1876 1878 1880 sp: 19 1882 1883 sp: 16 sp: 17 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 sp: 16 1894 sp: 2 sp: 3 1896 1898 sp: 19 1899 sp: 16 1900 1902 1903 sp: 16 1904 sp: 19 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 sp: 14 1920 1922 1924 1926 1927 sp: 2 1928 1930 1931 sp: 1 sp: 20 1932 1934 1936 sp: 11 sp: AL 1938 1940 sp: 17 sp: 22 1942 1944 1946 1947 sp: 4 1948 1950 1951 sp: 3 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 sp: 6 1962 1964 1965 sp: 7 1966 1968 1970 sp: 19 1972 1974 sp: 1 1976 1978 1980 1981 sp: 4 1982 sp: 17 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1993 sp: 2 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2005 sp: 2 2006 2 2007 sp: 5 2008 sp: 11 2010 2012 2014 2016 sp: 8 2018 sp: 12 2020 2021 sp: 11 sp: 15 2022 2024 sp: 6
State government General elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1803 1805 1807 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Complete list Lieutenant Governor elections Complete list Secretary of State elections 2022 Complete list Attorney General elections 2008 sp 2010 2014 2018 2022 Complete list State Auditor elections Complete list State Treasurer elections Complete list State Supreme Court elections Complete list State House elections 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 State Senate elections 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures 2004 Issue 1 2011 Issue 2 2018 Issue 1 2022 Issue 1 2023 August Issue 1 November Issue 1 Issue 2 2024 Issue 1
Akron Mayoral elections 2023
Cincinnati Mayoral elections 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 City Council elections List of elections
Cleveland Mayoral elections 1901 1933 1935 1937 1939 1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1962 (special) 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1978 (recall) 1979 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 City Council elections 2021
Columbus Mayoral elections 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1909 1919 1911 1913 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 City Council elections 2023
Cuyahoga County County executive elections 2010 2014 2018 2022 County Council elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Toledo Mayoral elections 2013 2015 (special) 2017 2021
v t e

The 2016 Ohio Democratic presidential primary took place on March 15 in the U.S. state of Ohio as one of the Democratic Party's primaries prior to the 2016 presidential election.

The same day, the Democratic Party held primaries in Florida, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, while the Republican Party held primaries in the same five states and a caucus in the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as their own Ohio primary.

Clinton handily won the primary, putting her upset Rust Belt loss in Michigan behind her. She earned congressional endorsements from Reps. Tim Ryan, Joyce Beatty, Marcia Fudge and Sen. Sherrod Brown, while Sanders earned one Ohio backer, Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

Background

By the time Ohio held its primaries, voters from 21 states and two territories already cast their vote for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. As of the March 12 elections, Hillary Clinton was projected to have earned 775 pledged delegates to Bernie Sanders' 552. Clinton gained significant victories in the Southern United States, often described as her "firewall", including landslide victories in Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders gained victories in the Midwestern United States, where Ohio resides, including an upset victory in neighboring Michigan on March 8. After the fact, Sanders' campaign took advantage of the momentum gained from the Michigan win, by targeting Illinois, Missouri and Ohio in the March 15 elections, hoping to repeat the same result. Sanders stated that "Not only is Michigan the gateway to the rest of the industrial Midwest, the results there show that we are a national campaign."

Before the Michigan primaries, Clinton and Sanders had debated over economic policies relating to the industrial midwest states and the so-called "rust belt". The disagreements centered around trade deals, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Clinton's past support of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and its effect on economies such as Michigan and Ohio.

Controversy

Ohio is one of at least seventeen states that has laws allowing voters who are 17 years of age, but will be 18 by the time of the general election, to vote in the presidential primaries. However, Ohio Secretary of State Jon A. Husted had announced in December 2015 that 17 year olds would be outright barred from participating in the 2016 primaries. The rationale for the decision was based on an interpretation of the law in which 17 year olds could "nominate" officials for office, but not "elect". In the case of the presidential primaries, by definition, voters would be electing officials - delegates to each party's presidential nominating convention. The decision was met with criticism by the public, after it was brought to mainstream attention by Representative Kathleen Clyde, after she condemned the rule in a statement released on March 5. Clyde described it as a "underhanded, backroom attack" against young voters. Nine teenagers filed a lawsuit with the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas in Franklin County over the decision, stating that the decision contradicted state law and a decision by the Supreme Court of Ohio that allowed 17 year olds turning 18 by the general election to vote.

Bernie Sanders' campaign, whose voter base includes the majority of young voters, also filed a lawsuit against the decision, accusing Husted of "arbitrarily" and "unconsititutionally" discriminating against young African-American and Latino voters, citing data from the 2010 United States Census that shows younger voters in Ohio where mostly African-American and Latino. Husted, in response to Sanders' lawsuit, said in a public statement that he welcomed the lawsuit, further stating that "I am very happy to be sued on this issue because the law is crystal clear", though, he later spoke out negatively against the lawsuit, claiming that it was "a last-minute political act", designed to "draw attention to his campaign." Many Ohio officials, past and present, such as former Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, came out in support of Sanders' lawsuit, and had attracted protests by not only Bernie Sanders supporters, but also Donald Trump supporters as well. In a decision handed down on March 11, an Ohio state judge ruled in favour of both lawsuits by the teenage group and the Sanders campaign, effectively lifting the ban on 17 year olds from voting in the Ohio presidential primaries. Husted initially announced that he would appeal the ruling, however, after learning that such an appeal wouldn't be heard by the court until the day before the primaries, he retracted his intent to appeal.

Debates and forums

March 13, 2016 – Columbus, Ohio

The ninth forum was held at 8:00 pm EDT on March 13, 2016, at the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and aired on CNN.

March 14, 2016 – Columbus, Ohio and Springfield, Illinois

The tenth forum was held at 6:00 pm EDT on March 14, 2016, at the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois. It aired on MSNBC. The first section of the town hall with Bernie Sanders was moderated by Chuck Todd; the second section of the town hall with Hillary Clinton was moderated by Chris Matthews.

Opinion polling

Results

Results by county

Analysis

Clinton received a commanding win in the Ohio primary which mirrored her 2008 performance. Clinton won the white vote 53–47 which comprised 74% of the Ohio electorate. She also won the African American vote, 71–28. And while Sanders won men 51–48 and voters under the age of 45 65–34, Clinton won women 63–36 (including white women 61–38 who made up 41% of the electorate, and won both married and unmarried women) and she won older voters 70–29. She swept all income levels and educational attainment levels in Ohio. She also won unions, an important demographic in the industrial Rust Belt, by a margin of 55–45.

In terms of political ideology, Clinton swept all groups: liberals, moderates, and conservatives. She won Democrats 64–35, but lost Independents 66–33 to Sanders.

Clinton swept most counties in the state, winning urban areas 61–38, suburban areas 63–36, and rural areas by a modest 51–48. Clinton won in the Cleveland area 63–35, in Northern Ohio 57–43, in the Ohio Valley and Western Ohio 52–47, in the Columbus area 52–47, and in Cincinnati/Dayton, 55–45.

References

1. Stein, Jeff (March 15, 2016). "Hillary Clinton holds off surging Bernie Sanders to win Ohio". Vox. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
2. Gass, Nick. "Hillary Clinton wins Ohio Democratic primary". POLITICO. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
3. "Who's Winning the Presidential Delegate Count?". Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P. March 12, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
4. Tani, Maxwell (February 28, 2016). "It's now clear that Hillary Clinton's 'firewall' strategy is alive and well". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
5. Dowling, Brian (March 6, 2016). "Hillary Clinton still strong in South, while Bernie Sanders stays alive". Boston Herald. Herald Media, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
6. Bump, Philip (March 8, 2016). "Hillary Clinton's stunningly large win in Mississippi". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
7. Riddell, Kelly (March 5, 2016). "Bernie Sanders' campaign gets needed boost with Kansas, Nebraska wins". The Washington Times. Operations Holdings (The Washington Times, LLC). Retrieved March 13, 2016.
8. Nelson, Colleen McCain; Nicholas, Peter; Meckler, Laura (March 9, 2016). "Bernie Sanders Scores Upset in Michigan Democratic Primary". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
9. Roberts, Dan; Jacobs, Ben; Gambino, Lauren (March 10, 2016). "Bernie Sanders beats Hillary Clinton in stunning Michigan primary upset". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
10. Roberts, Dan; Gambino, Lauren (March 10, 2016). "Sanders optimistic for more midwest upsets after shock Michigan win". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
11. Meckler, Laura; Nicholas, Peter (March 3, 2016). "Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Spar Over Trade in Midwest". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
12. Davis, Owen (March 7, 2016). "Free Trade And Flint: What Sanders And Clinton Got Right And Wrong On Nafta". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
13. "Primaries - Where Can 17-Year-Olds Vote in Presidential Primaries or Caucuses?". FairVote. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
14. Perkins, William T. (March 5, 2016). "17-year-olds shut out of presidential primary". The Columbus Dispatch. New Media Investment Group. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
15. Naymik, Mark (March 8, 2016). "Ohio 17-year-olds' presidential picks in Tuesday's primary won't count but pressure building to change the rule". Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer). Advance Publications / Newhouse Newspapers. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
16. O'Brien, Brendan (March 8, 2016). "Ohio 17-year-olds sue state for right to vote in primary". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
17. Heller, Nathan (August 25, 2015). "Feeling the Bern With the Youth Vote". The New Yorker. Advance Publications. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
18. Silver, Nate (February 8, 2016). "Why Young Democrats Love Bernie Sanders". FiveThirtyEight. ESPN Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
19. ^ Alcindor, Yamiche (March 8, 2016). "Bernie Sanders Sues Over Ohio Rule Barring 17-Year-Olds From Primary". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
20. Morice, Jane (March 8, 2016). "Bernie Sanders' campaign files young voters lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted". Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer). Advance Publications / Newhouse Newspapers. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
21. Gaudiano, Nicole (March 11, 2016). "Ohio official calls Bernie Sanders' lawsuit a 'political act'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
22. Larson, Erik (March 12, 2016). "Sanders Preparing for Battle Over Ohio's 17-Year-Old Voters". Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
23. Atkin, Emily (March 11, 2016). "Meet The Young Donald Trump Supporters Who Drove 100 Miles To Protest With Bernie Sanders Supporters". ThinkProgress. Center for American Progress. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
24. Atkinson, Khorri (March 12, 2016). "Sanders campaign praises Ohio ruling that allows 17-year-olds to vote". MSNBC. NBCUniversal. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
25. Palmer, Kim (March 11, 2016). "17-Year-Olds Should Be Allowed To Vote In Ohio Primary, Judge Rules". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
26. LoBianco, Tom (March 12, 2016). "In victory for Sanders, Ohio judge says 17-year-olds can vote in primary". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved March 13, 2016.
27. "CNN, TV One to host presidential town hall". CNN. March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
28. Primary results
29. "ARG Ohio Poll March 12-13, 2016".
30. "OHIO: KASICH, TRUMP IN GOP SQUEAKER; CLINTON LEADS IN DEM RACE" (PDF).
31. "March 14, 2016 - Trump Tops Rubio In Florida, Ties Kasich In Ohio, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Clinton Leads Sanders In Two Critical Primaries".
32. "Midwestern States a Toss Up Tuesday" (PDF).
33. "Poll: Trump and Kasich neck-and-neck in Ohio; Trump leads in Florida".
34. "Polls: Trump Ahead in Florida, Illinois; Kasich Leads in Ohio".
35. "WOMEN DRIVE CLINTON TO 2-1 LEAD AMONG FLORIDA DEMS, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS; SHE HAS 9-POINT LEAD IN OHIO" (PDF).
36. Public Polling Policy
37. "CNN/ORC Poll: Trump, Clinton leading in Florida, Ohio".
38. Quinnipiac University
39. BW Community Research Institute
40. Public Policy Polling
41. "2016 Presidential Swing State Polls Poll – October 7, 2015 – Biden, Carson Are Hot In Flori | Quinnipiac University Connecticut". Quinnipiac.edu. October 7, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
42. "Quinnipiac poll" (PDF). Quinnipiac.edu. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
43. "Quinnipiac poll" (PDF). quinnipiac.edu. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
44. Public Policy Polling
45. Quinnipiac University
46. Quinnipiac University
47. The Green Papers
48. "2016 Election Center". CNN. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
49. "2016 Election Center". CNN. Retrieved September 25, 2016.

• 2016 United States Democratic presidential primaries by state
• 2016 Ohio elections
• Ohio Democratic primaries