Journal-News.com

The blue national tide that carried Barack Obama into the presidency also swept across Ohio, changing the political landscape in most of the state.

The grass roots strength of Obama's campaign brought Democratic gains in 76 of the state's 88 counties, a Dayton Daily News analysis of statewide presidential voting totals from 2004 and 2008 found. And of the 12 counties that showed Republican gains, four of them still went for Obama.

John McCain carried most Ohio counties — 66 of 88. But Obama won six more counties than John Kerry did in 2004, built on Democratic strengths in urban counties, and cut into the GOP advantage in rural and suburban areas.

In all but eight of the counties that supported John McCain on Nov. 4, his margins were smaller than those chalked up by President Bush in 2004.

The state's northwestern corner tells the story. Eight Ohio counties moved toward Democrats by more than 15 percentage points and all were in the northwest.

Williams County, in the state's top left corner, shifted the most. Although it still supported McCain, his margin, 9.9 percent, was almost 20 percentage points less than the 29.8 percent margin Bush racked up in 2004.

Next door, Henry County, with a blue shift of 18 percentage points, was second. Lifelong Henry County resident Bill Booth, vice-chairman of the Henry County Democratic Party, couldn't help but scoff when Kevin Aldrich, a young upstart from Barack Obama's campaign, told him he was going to turn the county blue.

"I told him, 'if you can raise the percentage two to three points, you'll be a success,' " Booth recalls telling Aldrich.

Booth attributes some of the double-digit swing to the economy and growing antipathy toward Bush. But for the most part, he gives the credit to Aldrich, who recruited 700 volunteers and didn't quit contacting swing voters until the polls closed.

"If Barack Obama is able to organize things in Washington the way he organized a campaign, from the ground floor up," Booth said, "things ought to get good."