Biden makes ad push into rural Ohio as early voting begins

Democrat Joe Biden is expanding his ad buys into every corner of Ohio as early voting begins Tuesday, signaling his campaign’s growing hopes that a state Donald Trump won easily four years ago may be within former vice president’s grasp.

new spots will air on radio in rural, traditionally Republican areas of state, campaign told Associated Press, as well as on TV in Dayton. That adds to television advertising already anunced in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati and on Black radio stations.

campaign declined to give specifics on how much Ohio ad blitz is costing. It's part of Biden's $280 million general election ad reservation.

Toni Webb, his Ohio state director, said Biden will use ads to speak "directly with hardworking families across Buckeye State about his positive vision for unifying country," including his plans to "strengn health care, build our ecomy back better, and deliver for working families.”

Trump carried Ohio over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a comfortable 8 percent points in 2016. He w finds himself locked in a competitive battle for Midwestern battleground and its 18 electoral votes.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Sept. 24 showed Biden and Trump statistically tied in state, with 48% of likely voters favoring Biden and 47% favoring Trump. A whopping 97% indicated that ir minds were made up, leaving deciding vote to a tiny sliver of electorate. survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent points.

Part of more-competitive-than-expected Ohio landscape is owed to Trump’s decline in support across state’s suburbs, surrounding its largest cities Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland but also its midsize and smaller metros, such as Akron, Dayton and Toledo.

Some Republicans have argued that Trump can win by turning out more supporters in rural and small-town regions that carried him in 2016. However, some Republicans say Trump likely cant recoup his suburban losses given how he set 40-year Republican vote percent records, or near-records, in two-thirds of Ohio’s 88 counties four years ago.

What’s more, Trump pulled back on his Ohio advertising this week, according to a review of advertising data by Kantar/CMAG for Associated Press. As of Monday, Trump’s campaign had canceled $2.5 million in Ohio television advertising this week, though his campaign maintained $7.8 million in reserved TV time through election.

Biden ads will reach 56 of Ohio's 88 counties — as well as four counties in neighboring West Virginia —with positively toned spots, campaign said. y'll air across souast Ohio's Appalachian region, western Ohio's farm fields and in blue-collar Mahoning County, home to Youngstown, a formerly loyal Democratic area that Trump swung into Republican column in 2016.

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