Is Ohio state crusial to winn the election?

Answer 1

Ohio is what is known as a "Swing" state.

First of all, a little about the electoral system. When one votes for president in the US, one is really voting which way the "electors" of that state will vote for president in the Electoral College. In most states when the majority of the population votes for a certain candidate, all the electors of that state will vote for that candidate in the Electoral College. The number of electors in a state is equal to the number of representatives and senators that state has in Congress.

Even though Ohio lost two representatives after the 2010 Census, it still has a fairly large number of electors and therefore an important state to win in a presidential election.

Ohio is knows as a "Swing State". Unlike state like New York or California which will almost always lean one way in an election; and Indiana and Texas which will almost always lean the other way, Ohio can swing from one side to another from election to election. Since about 40 or 44 states generally always lean in a particular way, the swing states become the battleground for presidential candidates. Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Colorado and Virginia are major "Swing" or "battleground" states.