Some Republican voters in Ohio’s strongholds — particularly in the state’s northwestern and western counties — are beginning to understand the old saying: “Be careful what you wish for.” Much of Ohio’s agricultural industry is now facing the harsh consequences of President Donald Trump’s shaky trade “policy,” which has all but destroyed U.S.-to-China soybean exports.
That collapse is now hitting farm incomes hard across Ohio, where agriculture plays a vital role in the economy. According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the state ranks fifth nationally in soybean production, making it one of the hardest hit by the trade disruptions.
Ohio voters strongly supported Trump in 2024, giving him and his running mate, Cincinnati Republican JD Vance, 54.8% of the vote compared to 43.7% for the Democratic ticket of then–Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Nationally, Trump and Vance took 49.7% of the vote, while Harris and Walz received 48.2%.
Federal data from 2023 showed that Wood County, home to Bowling Green, led the state in soybean production, harvesting nearly 9.7 million bushels from more than 123,000 acres. Voters there backed Trump with 54.6% of the vote.
Other major soybean-producing counties were even more enthusiastic in their support. Clinton County (Wilmington) gave Trump 76.6%, Darke County (Greenville) 82%, Fayette County (Washington Court House) 76.9%, Hardin County (Kenton) 76.8%, Huron County (Norwalk) 71.3%, Madison County (London) 71%, Mercer County (Celina) 82.7%, Paulding County 77.2%, Pickaway County (Circleville) 73.5%, Putnam County (Ottawa) 83.5%, Seneca County (Tiffin) 67.9%, and Van Wert County 78.5%.
Former President Barack Obama once angered Republicans by saying, during a Democratic victory, that “elections have consequences.” That line now rings true for rural Republican Ohio — even before the fallout from the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which may cost some regions their hospitals. Indeed, elections do have consequences — though not always the kind voters expect.
Ohio legislators frequently remind one another that agriculture is the state’s top industry. If that is truly the case, it may be time for them to set aside culture-war politics — like targeting transgender people — and instead stand up against the economic damage being inflicted on the state’s farm families by the administration’s erratic trade actions.
Meanwhile, Ohio’s ongoing redistricting debacle continues to expose the flaws of supposed “reforms” passed a decade ago. General Assembly Republicans have every incentive to stall, as delays only reinforce their advantages under the state’s current redistricting system — a system sold to voters as fair but proven hollow in practice.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose of Upper Arlington, along with state Senator Theresa Gavarone of Bowling Green, helped craft misleading ballot language that led voters to reject last year’s proposal to create an independent citizens’ redistricting commission. The Ohio Supreme Court allowed that deceptive wording to stand.
With Republicans currently holding 10 of Ohio’s 15 U.S. House seats, the state GOP has little reason to rush redistricting until they find a way to eliminate at least two sitting Democratic members — Representatives Marcy Kaptur of Toledo and Emilia Sykes of Akron.
To many, redistricting may appear to be an inside political game. But the Republican-controlled U.S. House’s meek reaction to Trump’s imposition of what effectively amounts to martial law in several major U.S. cities poses a real threat to Americans’ already eroding liberties. Meanwhile, the Senate’s so-called leadership offers little more than tired slogans and hollow theatrics.
That is not responsible government. It is political show business in a nation that desperately needs genuine leadership — not cheap entertainment.
