President Trump on Tuesday bested Democratic challenger Joseph R. Biden in Ohio, trudging forward on same the path that led to the White House last time.
Mr. Trump was projected the winner 53% to 45% with about 89% of the vote counted, according to multiple news organizations.
The campaigns did not make Ohio a focus because Mr. Trump in 2016 took Ohio by a large margin as he also gathered wins in longtime Democratic strongholds across Rust Belt.
Mr. Biden targeted those previously Democratic states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin — rather than pour excessive resources into Ohio.
But it marked a key win for Mr. Trump on a night when results arrived painfully slow from most of the battleground states.
Mr. Trump likely needed Ohio and its 18 electoral votes to secure a second term in the White House.
Both candidates still have a long road ahead. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
Still, the win bodes well for Mr. Trump.
Ohio is the most reliable bellwether state, picking the eventual president in every election since 1964.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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