… Obama’s campaign increasingly seems to view the three Rustbelt swing states, especially Ohio, as its castle keep: the last line of defense in its plan to reach the 270 Electoral College votes required for victory. …
This unanticipated alignment is rooted in the contrasting economic experience and attitudes of the two regions. Those differences have created a greater receptivity in the Rustbelt for Obama’s attacks on Romney’s business experience, and in the Sunbelt for Romney’s portrayal of Obama as a big-spending government liberal.
The shifting state of the race across these two regions is exactly the opposite of what many observers expected when the presidential campaign season began. [cont.]
Ron Brownstein, Quartz