For some strange reason, Toledo seems to be one of the focal points for the candidates in Ohio...it gets hit repeatedly by both sides. My son and I talk often about how things are going back there.
Ohio has a lot of Democratic voting union members, and it's been through the economic roller coaster. But a strange thing has been happening there this year; a lot of straunch Democrats are saying "we are better off under President Bush". This is coming from life long Democratic Mayors who are well liked to traditionally liberal newspapers.
Sure, a lot of people will simple vote for the Democrat but a lot are listening to "their own" and it's making sense to them.
I can vouch for this, at least anecdotally. My fiance is from Toledo. Her entire family still lives there. They come from a long line of union member blue collar Dems.
Her brother, for example, is the prototypical union Dem: works at the Calphalon plant, loves NASCAR, hunting, beer, playing video games with his kids, and hanging out with his family. Her brother and the men (long line of pipe-fitters) are all voting Repub for the first time in their lives.(Most of the women of her family are still, unfortunately, Dems or undecided.)
My fiance was floored when her bro said he was voting Bush. He told her that he's not voting for Bush due specific issues so much as the fact that Bush "has guts, tells it like it is, and you know where he's coming from."
Most of hubby's siblings are union(he has 6 of them) and every last one is voting Bush.