The Columbus, Ohio Metro Area is a large and diverse region with many different political views. The area includes seven counties that are home to over two million people. Each county has its own elected officials who work to represent their constituents at the state and local levels. In addition, there are several independent cities within the metro area that have their own governments and representatives. Within the metro area, there are a wide range of issues that need to be addressed including education, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and public health. Politicians from both major parties put together platforms that they believe can best address these needs for all of the citizens in the Columbus Metro Area. Residents get engaged through participating in civic activities such as voting in elections and attending public forums where they can voice their opinions on important matters. Local politicians are also available to provide information to residents about their legislative agendas as well as answer questions regarding any of the hot button issues facing the region. Overall, politics in the Columbus Metro Area provide an opportunity for meaningful dialogue between residents and those who represent them on all levels of government.
The political climate in Columbus Metro Area is somewhat liberal.
In Columbus Metro Area 53.7% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 44.4% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.9% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, the Columbus metro area remained moderately Democratic, 53.7% to 44.4%.
The Columbus metro area voted Democratic in the four most recent Presidential elections, after 2000 and 2004 went Republican.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Columbus Metro Area is somewhat liberal.
Ohio is leaning conservative.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Columbus, Ohio: r r d d d d
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last four elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Columbus Metro Area
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 98,863 contributions totaling $16,375,853 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $166 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 24,480 contributions totaling $29,302,406 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $1,197 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)