Is Clinton the only 'adult' candidate or 'beyond the law?' In Ohio, it depends where you ask

CharlesGarholdlivesin anupscaleneighbourhood ofPowell,Ohio, andrecently returned from a trip to Toronto where he spent some time scouting the area in case Donald Trump wins the U.S. election.

"Trump scares the hell out of me," Garhold said as he stoodat hisdoorway, just metres fromtwo Clinton/Kainesigns that feature prominently on his trimmedfront lawn.

The businessman, husband and father of two says there has never been someone as qualified to be president asDemocratic candidate Hillary Clinton, givenher experience as first lady, a New York senator and secretary of state.

"She's a grown-up. And we need an adult in the WhiteHouse," he said.

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Garhold is somethingof a minority political voice inthissmall, upper-income bedroom community of about 12,000.Asuburb of Columbusand part of Delaware County, ithas beenanything but Democratjust four years ago itvoted for former Massachusetts governor MittRomneyby 23 points.

But it's a county to keep an eye on during electionnight. It's the fastest-growing county in the state, yet it was Trump's worst county in the Republican primary, meaning results here could give an indication of how the night unfolds, wroteKyle Kondikof the University of Virginia's Center for Politics and author ofThe Bellwether: Why Ohio Picks the President.

'Scrambling' of the political geography

John Green, an expert on Ohio politics, sees the potential for some "scrambling" of the state's political geography, particularly if the candidates lose voters in areas where their party has traditionally done better.

Trump already hadproblems attracting female voters, and the video release of his crude comments back in 2005 certainly won't help him. This meansClinton could gainsupport fromwhite suburbanites, particularly women,from traditional Republican areas like Delaware County, said Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.

Meanwhile, Green said, Trump may gain votesfromwhite, blue-collar workers intraditionally Democratic areas, where manufacturing has been hit hard and his anti-free trade message is popular.

But mostly, Trump should follow the traditional Republican electoral path andclean up in the rural towns and areas whileClintonwill likely continue to maintain the Democraticfoothold of the major cities.Franklin County for example, which includesColumbus, gaveU.S. President BarackObamaa 20-point victory over Romney.

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"It's become a really liberal little place. It's very easy to open a business in Columbus, to own a house in Columbus," says Jennifer Burton, who was born and raised in the state capital.

This is a Democrat city, with a Democratic mayor and Democratic city council.The downtown core has seen significant development over the yearsand attracted many young workers from all parts of the state.Forbes recently put it atNo. 7on its list of 20best cities for young professionals.

Construction cranes dot the city, while the area known asShortNorth has become the trendydowntowndistrict destination, complete with swankyrestaurants andbars.

Burton has been running her beer and wine retailbusiness for six years at the North Market, the longest-running public market in the city.

"I justdon'tunderstand how anyone could vote for Trump," said Burton, an unabashed Clinton supporter."And I actually like Hillary. I'm not voting for her because I don't like Trump."

'Vote Democrat but not this time'

That was, more or less, the view of a number of Columbus residents.

But in themidsize city ofCanton, where manufacturing has been hollowed out, Clinton could face some real challenges.

"I normally vote Democratbut not this time," Mark Abel said as he finishedhis shift at theTimken Steel plant where he's worked for21 years.

"We've lost a lot of jobs.Rightnow, things are slow. We've been off a week every month for about ayear and a half."

While union leadership may continue to endorse Clinton, Abelsaidsomeof the rank-and-file members are leaning toward Trump.

"I agree with some of the stuff he's trying to do. Like trying to get the jobs back. That's what we need. Get the jobs back here. That's going to increase the tax revenue for the country."

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It's asentiment sharedby Susan Craft, a part-time restaurant worker andresidentofthe small town of Apple Creek, 50 kilometres west of Canton.

"NAFTAtook a lot of jobs from this county. We have had a lot offactoriesclose over the past 10, 15 yearsand they're not coming back," said Craft, a Trump supporter.

Craft's street is peppered with Trump/Pence signs, a familiar sight travelling through small northern Ohiotowns, all of which are Trump territory. Here, manylike Craft, while expressing support for Trump,seem more motivated to vote by their dislike of Clinton.

"I'm tired of the liars,"said one Bellvilleresidentwho didn't want to be identified. "I wouldn't vote Hillary for a dog catcher. I like Trump, he's telling the truth. Hillary should be in the pen."

Just eastinthe midsizetown ofWooster, where the Republican headquarters sit on prime real estate inthe downtowncore,Trump is still consideredthe popular choice.Yet theareais not devoid of Clinton supporters.

'I know a con man'

"Well, Iknow a conman when Isee him," saidGlen Grumbling, owner of the Broken Rocks Cafe and Bakery. "I see a lot ofconmencome in my door often."

Grumbling said unlike other towns in the state, Wooster is a thriving community.

While he works long hours and makes his food from scratch, he acknowledgedthat Clinton's support fora higher minimum wage would add to his already high labour costs. But still, he believes she's the better choice.

That's not the opinion of Ken Booth, a resident of theagricultural community of Ashland, just west of Wooster.

"Clinton? Oh my God, don't get me started."

Booth, like manyTrump supporters, said he will vote for the Republican candidate because he'san outsider, not a politician. But with Booth, a retired construction worker, his support is somewhat qualified.

"He'sprobablyjust as bad as the rest of them, but give him a chance because hehasn'tbeen in politics."

However, standing inside Hawkins Market, realestate agent and dairy farmerMarcia Lahmers can't make up her mind on whom to support. Farming has been hit hard by commodity prices, she said.

She haslived in Ashland for 30 years anddoesn'tbelieve either candidate is offering policies that would help the region. But she disagreed with Trump on free trade,saying the reality is that it's a global market.

"Do you want to know it in a nutshell?DonaldTrump's dangerous.Hillary is, I think, beyond the law."

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