Could Amazon HQ2 turn Ohio into a blue state?
Historically, Ohio has really toed the line between Democrats and Republicans during presidential elections but overall, Republican electoral college votes have reigned, including in the most recent election. But could a troop of 50,000 Amazon employees sway that?
If Columbus was ultimately chosen out of the top 20 finalist cities to be the location for the Amazon HQ, inevitably, our state would attract young, educated talent from other cities, states, maybe even countries to come work for the commerce giant. The Atlantic recently published a piece about how those transplants could affect the color of our state.
“Many analysts consider the technology boom that flourished in Northern Virginia after Steve Case relocated the AOL headquarters there in the 1990s to be one of the factors that tipped the state toward the Democrats two decades later,” wrote Ronald Brownstein of the Atlantic.
Could the same thing happen in the red-dominated state of Ohio?
Don’t forget, Amazon has long been a supporter of gay rights and has even had a homosexual employee group called GLAmazon since 2005. They were also among the first big companies to depict gay couples in their ads. In short, they exemplify Democratic values. Is it safe to assume individuals of the same mindset would jockey for jobs at HQ2? Then register to vote in the state and then……You see where we’re going.
The article closes by saying it would be “unlikely” for a big infusion of blue-leaning tech workers to overcome the advantages Republicans have established in Ohio, but it’s still an interesting thought to ponder.
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