Sandusky County of interest in presidential election

FREMONT — A national news team was in Sandusky County as the race for president remains tight in the battleground state of Ohio, according to various recent polls.CBS News was in Fremont recently for a segment focusing on the upcoming presidential election.Polls nationwide show strong support for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton against her opponent Republican candidate Donald Trump. That is, however, not the case everywhereThe CBS News crew was interested in Sandusky County as a swing county in Ohio, a highly watched swing state in presidential elections, said Richard Stegman, Sandusky County Democratic chair and small business owner of the Victorian Tudor Inn in Bellevue.The segment was to have aired but Stegman said it was postponed. It is unknown if or when the segment will air as attempts to contact the editor of the segment were unsuccessful."It is clear Sandusky County is a purple county. It has been declared by Time Magazine as a swing county. There is some legitimacy that we are a swing county,' Stegman said.Sandusky County voted democratic in the last two elections which brought President Barack Obama into the White House. They voted Republican when both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush ran for the office. Voters in the county went democratic when Bill Clinton in 1996 ran for re-election in the Presidential election, said Justin Smith, Sandusky County Republican Party Chairman.The only time Sandusky County did not vote with the winning candidate in recent elections was in 1992 when the county voted for George H.W. Bush and Clinton won, Smith said.Smith said recent reports of Trump alienating the established GOP have been exaggerated and has not impacted the local party which has good support from local people helping with campaigns and has also been receiving support from the state.Accusations of sexual assault against Trump also do not seem to be hurting him with Ohio supporters."It is going to be close but Sandusky County will go Trump," Smith said. "He is not your typical politician and people are tired of career politicians. The democrats nominated someone who has been around for 25 years. People do not want that."Stegman hopes the work of his party has something to say about that."I think it will be close. Obama did not carry Sandusky County by a wide margin in the second election but will Hillary Clinton carry Ohio. Yes," Stegman said. "We have a strong ground game for Hillary and getting people to vote."